Bloede's Dam
| Bloede's Dam | |
|---|---|
The remains of Bloede's dam (as of the 1930s or 1940s)
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| Official name | Bloede's Dam |
| Location | Catonsville / Ilchester, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°14′49″N 76°45′40″W / 39.247023°N 76.761083°WCoordinates: 39°14′49″N 76°45′40″W / 39.247023°N 76.761083°W |
| Opening date | 1907 |
| Operator(s) | Maryland DNR |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Patapsco River |
| Height | 26 1⁄2 feet (8.1 m) |
| Length | 220 feet (67 m) |
| Width (base) | 40 feet (12 m) |
| Recorded National Historical site | |
Bloede's Dam was a hydroelectric dam on the Patapsco River in Maryland. It was the first known instance of a submerged hydroelectric plant, where the power plant was actually housed under the spillway. It is also recognized as one of the earliest dams constructed of reinforced concrete. This area is now part of Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area.
The Patapsco Electric and Manufacturing company, of Ellicott City, brought fame to the Patapsco River corridor in 1906 when it constructed the world's first underwater hydroelectric plant to supply its electricity. The Dam is named for Victor Gustav Bloede (pronounced as Blerda), a German immigrant who founded of the Avalon Water Works in the same area, was its president at the time. Bloede hired electrical engineer Otto Wonder to oversee the development of this unique hydroelectric project near Gray's Mill on the Patapsco River. Construction was performed by the Emmerson Ferro-Conrete company of Boston. The dam itself was 220 feet (67 m) long, 40 feet (12 m) wide at the base and had a drop of 26.5 feet (8.1 m). It was an Ambursen Hydraulic Construction Company (Boston type) reinforced concrete slab and buttress dam. The power plant technology and equipment were state of the art when it went into operation in 1907, with 34-inch Poole & Hunt Leffel Wheels and two 30-inch 500hp horizontal Samson Turbines capable of a electromotive force of 11,000 volts. A 200 foot long fish ladder was constructed along the site. The arrangement made the facility the world's first underwater hydroelectric plant.
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Wikipedia