Mt. Morris Dam

Mt. Morris Dam. . In reaction to the severe flooding that occurred almost every seven years in the Genesee Valley since the 1800s, Congress authorized the Mount Morris Dam project under the Flood Control Act of 1944. Completed in 1952 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the dam took four years to construct at a cost of $25 million dollars. , Spanning 1,028 feet between the canyon walls, the Mt. Morris Dam provides flood protection to the farm, residential, industrial, and commercial areas of the lower Genesee River Valley to Lake Ontario, including the city of Rochester. It is estimated that the dam has prevented over a billion dollars of downstream damage in its years of operation. , The Mt. Morris Dam is known as a dry dam since its nine floodgates are only closed to hold back water when necessary, about 20% of the time. Once the danger has passed, the water is released at a rate to prevent flooding downstream. Impounding water has greatly changed the habitat behind the dam. Sediments that have settled out have covered rock bars as far south as St. Helena and are more than 50 feet deep at the dam. , Neat and Nearby , The Highbanks Trail (#20) runs through this overlook, traversing the rim of the gorge and nearby woodlands. In the fall, visitors may hear the call of Canada geese from the river below. Several thousand may winter here, as long as the water remains unfrozen., Dam Facts! , The Mt. Morris Dam ... , . is the largest concrete, gravity, dry dam east of the Mississippi River. , . stands 245 feet tall above the bedrock. , . is 760 feet above sea level at its spillway elevation. , . has a 550-foot-wide spillway that, if ever required, would allow water to overflow the dam. , . has a six-story tower that is the center of operations. , . houses almost three-quarters of a mile of passageways that contain the dam's gate controls, pressure gauges, pumps, elevator shafts, and stairways. , The Mount Morris Dam and surrounding area is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.