Remnants of the Past: The Dam and Outlet Tower

Remnants of the Past: The Dam and Outlet Tower. Interpreting History. , The Main Dam Keeps Water In… , The dam you are standing on held back the water flowing into the reservoir. The crews mostly used materials found on site during construction. To help ensure strength and impermeability of the core and prevent leakage beneath the base, they probably dug the foundation trench and blasted into the bedrock. The core was most likely clay and may have included concrete (made with the sand cleared from the basin). Larger stones were added to the inner face of the dam to prevent erosion by wave action. A dinky locomotive engine and dumper cars, which ran along a small track, made construction easier. The engine likely pulled loads of dirt and other materials along the dam to the work crews., The Outlet Tower Lets Water Out… , The tower you see here, along with a system of pipes, transferred the water in the reservoir to Morgantown. The concrete tower is approximately 21 feet tall. The 3 levels of side intake openings were controlled by hand from atop the tower. Using a walkway to access the top of the tower, the reservoir caretaker could open or close the intake gates, depending on water levels and need. With the lake filled to a normal depth, only the tower's top portion was visible above the water. The incoming water collected in the bottom of the tower and entered the main outlet pipe. This concrete-sealed 24-inch diameter pipe passed under the dam's core and connected to pipes leading to town., [Inset:] ,

Morgantown Post Chronicle November 27, 1912 , Engineer McCoy Finishes Job on Tibbs Run Dam , "The water from Tibbs Run was turned into the big lake, the valves of the gatehouse in the big dam were closed, and the reservoir, capable of storing 90,000 gallons of water, began to fill.... The four days run has formed a lake of goodly area and of seven or eight feet depth in the deeper places. It is an attractive looking sheet of beautifully clear, pure mountain water.... The cost of the improvement to the company has probably approximated $50,000."

. This historical marker was erected in 2014 by West Virginia Botanic Garden and West Virginia Humanities Council. It is Near Morgantown in Monongalia County West Virginia