Waverly Cedar River Dam

Waverly Cedar River Dam. Waverly's Cedar River Dam, 1915-2010. In 1905 there were again major repairs made to the dam, as well as improvements to the hydro-electric plant including installation of a coal-fired steam plant, which offered increased capacity for producing electricity. , In 1908 an explosion and fire destroyed the entire power plant. The city council decided to rebuild with the financial support of four local newspaper owners. In 1909 a new light and power building was erected which remains the oldest hydro-electric facility still operating in the State of Iowa. , With a new power plant and increasing demand for electricity, the newspapers chronicled the increasing public pressure to build a new dam and reduce the cost of coal consumption. The old wooden crib dam was too low, too porous, and required too much maintenance. , In 1913 a $25,000 bond issue passed providing funds for the construction of a new concrete spillway and floodgate structure immediately downstream from the crib dam. This new dam was completed in 1915 and remained through numerous repairs, until the year 2010. , On September 4, 1913 the Waverly Democrat reported on the construction of the concrete dam: “Excavating for the bulk head has been about completed, and the contractor will soon be filling in with concrete. While blasting last week, small pieces of stone were often thrown a great distance, and one of these pieces struck the window in Roy Young's barber shop on West Bremer Avenue, but only slightly cracked the glass. A number of pieces of stone were carried to the bridge, but no one was hurt, though many persons watched the operation of the blasting.” , [photo captions]

. City Light and Power Plant circa 1913. , . The new concrete dam as it appeared in 1916.

(Background photo courtesy of the Waverly Historic Photo Collection at the Waverly Public Library.)