| Delhi Dam | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Location | Delhi Township, Delaware County, near Delhi, Iowa |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction began | 1922 |
| Opening date | 1929 |
| Demolition date | July 24, 2010 |
| Owner(s) | Lake Delhi Recreation Association |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, concrete outlet section |
| Height |
38 ft (12 m) [1] |
| Length | 110 ft (34 m) (Concrete section) |
| Type of spillway | Service, gate-controlled ogee |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Delhi |
| Capacity | 4,674,896 m3 (3,790.000 acre·ft) |
| Catchment area | 347 sq mi (900 km2)[2] |
| Surface area | 218 ha (2.18 km2) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 1929 |
| Decommission date | 1968 |
| Turbines | 2 |
| Installed capacity | 1.5 MW (Proposed) |
| Website Lake Delhi Recreation Association |
|
Delhi Dam, also known as Hartwick Dam, was an embankment dam on the Maquoketa River 2.5km southwest of Delhi, Iowa that created Lake Delhi. The dam was over-topped and subsequently failed on July 24, 2010 after a period of heavy rain. The dam and lake are part of the Turtle Creek Recreation Area.
Contents |
The dam was built between 1922 and 1929 by the Interstate Power Company for hydroelectric power production, but its generators ceased operating in 1973 shortly before the Lake Delhi Recreation Association took ownership.[3][4] Since then, it has been used for recreation. Several floods in 2008 caused an estimated $500,000 in damages to the dam and its floodgates. In October 2008, the Association signed a partnership with Modern Hydro to have the power plant's turbines refurbished and recommissioned.[5] The new power plant was to have two turbine generators with a 1.5 MW capacity able to produce 3 GWh of electricity annually for sale to the local power utility.[6] $1.5 million in funding was sought by the Iowa Power Fund and power production was expected as early as 2010.[5] The dam was cited for minor problems during a 2009 Iowa Department of Natural Resources safety inspection.[7]
The southern embankment of the Delhi Dam failed on July 24, due to a period of about 10 inches (250 mm) of rainfall in twelve hours.[8] Before the breach, river levels upstream of the dam had reached 24.22 ft (7.38 m)[9], 10 feet (3 m) above flood stage and breaking the May 2004 record of 21.66 ft (6.60 m).[10] However, the stream flow at the time was 1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s) less than the 2004 record peak stream flow of 26,000 cu ft/s (740 m3/s). Only two of the dam's three floodgates were fully open in their concrete outlet works. This may have caused the river to overwhelm and overtop the roadway next to the dam.[11] This caused a 200 ft (61 m) long portion of the embankment and roadway to erode away and the lake to empty.[12] Around 8,000 people in downstream areas like Hopkinton and Monticello had to be evacuated.[13] The breach caused damage estimated in the millions of dollars thus far. In Monticello, 50 homes and 20 businesses received major flood damage among other damaged structures. The city's sewage treatment plant was also flooded, leaving residents without sewer services. Property owners that live near the lake pay special taxes to have the Lake Delhi Recreation Association (LDRA) maintain it, and replacement of the dam is uncertain, as the LDRA is in debt from previous lake-dredging costs.[12]