1868+1913+2023 Harpersfield Covered Bridge over, and Dam on, Grand River in Harpersfield, OH

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

The original two covered spans were built in 1868. In 1913, one of the spans was replaced by a truss because the span was destroyed by a flood. "This metal truss span is among the earlier rivet-connected through truss bridges in Ohio." [HistoricBridges] I think pin-connected trusses were the design technique before riveted gusset plates were developed.

 

Street View, Oct 2021

 

Bridgespotting posted

The most unusual bridge in Ashtabula County is Harpersfield, crossing the Grand River. Consisting of two spans and more than 200 feet long, the bridge was the longest covered bridge in the state prior to the construction of Smolen-Gulf in 2008. The most unusual feature is the result of a flood on the Grand River in 1913, which cut a new channel on one end of the covered bridge. The covered bridge was not damaged, but a new section of bridge needed to be added to create a longer bridge. This section, an additional 140 feet long, is a steel through-truss span that joins to the wooden span in the middle of the river, creating a hybrid wood/steel crossing. I understand the bridge was restored again in 2023, so it may look different now.

More than any other bridge in the county, the Harpersfield Bridge has been made into an accessible tourist attraction. The bridge is in a county Metropark with plenty of parking, and the Covered Bridge Shoppe at the eastern end sells bridge-related items, art, crafts, and snacks. Both the steel and wooden spans have a pedestrian sidewalk, and there are even several love padlocks attached to a metal component on the wooden railing. There is an Ohio Historical Marker plaque at the western end and multiple plaques inside the covered span. These include a National Register of Historic Places plaque and the Century Bridge plaque.

Chapter 3 of my book, Bridgespotting Part 2: A Guide to Even More Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times, includes a description of a tour of all 19 covered bridges in Ashtabula County. There are also photos of most of the bridges posted onto [www.bridgespotting.com](http://www.bridgespotting.com/).

Bill Medvec: This picture is old. The bridge has been completely renovated. Was closed for a long time. The dam is also new and had lamprey barriers installed.

 

Ginger Whitehead commented on the above post

Ginger Whitehead commented on the above post
It now has a walkway on both sides.

Mike Baker, Jun 2017

 

StarBeacon, Credit: Warren Dillaway/Star Beacon
"The project was awarded to Union Industrial Contractors, for a price of $6,057,260.50. One other company, Ruhlin, submitted a bid for $6,904,428.80. The estimated cost of the project was $5,625,000." The truss is now galvanized instead of painted.

Evidently, the covered bridge is now a fake. Only the covering is wood. I added the "bridgeGirderSteel" label to these notes. 

Street View, Oct 2023

The new dam replaced the drowning machine dam that we see in this photo. The stairstep design of the new dam avoids rolling water at the toe of the dam.

Monique, Jul 2021

1929 Dashields Locks & Dams on Ohio River

(Satellite)

Unlike the Emsworth Dam that was rebuilt as a gated structure between 1935-38, this dam is still a fixed crest type dam. It is the only one left on the Ohio River.

USACE
Dashields eliminated Lock and Dam 3, an old style wicket dam, which was built by the Corps from 1899-1907. It averages about 450 commercial lockages every month, plus another 200 to 300 lockages of pleasure craft during the summer months.
Dennis DeBruler: If you had a gated dam instead of a fixed crest dam, would you have been able to avoid flooding the lock?
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District: Dennis DeBruler These locks and dams facilities are designed for ensure we have a navigation channel all year round, they are not flood reduction facilities. There are 16 flood reduction reservoirs throughout the Pittburgh District and the operated as designed. Without these reservoirs the Point of Pittsburgh would have had been almost 6 feet higher, the Allegheny River almost 4 feet higher, the Mon almost 2 feet higher and the Ohio River would have been almost 5 feet higher.
[I understand the difference between flood control and run-of-river dams. But all of the other river dams are gated so that they don't obstruct the river during floods. They allow the river  to flow at its capacity. However, since it appears the downstream level is as high as the upstream level at this lock, maybe the dam is not the controlling obstruction in this area.]

USACE Pittsburgh District posted

Long before the PittsburghDistrict constructed Dashields Locks and Dam (pictured here) and other locking facilities, boating on the Ohio River posed a treacherous journey if you left at the wrong time of year.

“Never did any party undergo more fatigue than mine has done through the lowness of the Ohio,” wrote Lieutenant George Phyn, who led the 21st Regiment of Foot down the Ohio River in 1767 convoying a chest of silver and wine to deliver to troops downriver.

Phyn left Fort Pitt on September 29, and a 981-mile journey that should have taken 11 days took nearly two months.

He informed his commanders that no army units should leave Fort Pitt after June 10 in any year. During the dryer months, the low water stages of the Ohio bared the rocky bottom and sandbars that obstructed the stream.

Thanks to the PittsburghDistrict, the Ohio River and many of our navigable channels are completely unrecognized (in a very good way!) from the bodies of water they were in the early years of our nation’s development.

Our river dams form pools of elevated water that allow even large towboats and heavy barges to navigate with confidence. Our locking chambers offer a safe passage, acting as elevators as boats pass from one elevation to the next.

The results of a Google search reminds me that a fixed crest dam is a "drowning machine." This dam is particularly dangerous because kayakers on the Ohio River expect to see big structures above the dam long before they get to the dam so that they know to head for the correct shore to get in the slack water behind the lock. 

USACE posted
We've received a few complaints from anglers upset that we moved our warning buoys downstream of Dashields Lock and Dam -- closing off "some of the best fishing spots around!" In fact, the river moved them. Several locks and dams have missing or displaced buoys due to the recent high water. SOME UPSTREAM BUOYS HAVE BEEN PUSHED CLOSER TO THE DAM and some downstream buoys have been swept away from the dam. Be especially aware and attentive while on the rivers. The graphic provided by our lockmaster shows the current location of buoys at Dashields. We'll reset the buoys when river conditions allow safe retrieval and placement. 

The smaller lock can handle only one barge at a time and it is creating a big "traffic jam."

Clayton Adams posted
It's become a river parking lot with single barge locking..both locks, 6 miles a part. We'll be tied off to the bridge before its all said and done..lol!!!
Heather Brown Hensch: Emsworth and Dashields locks below Pittsburgh. We're pulling cuts at Emsworth now.

Apr 4, 2024: USACE, Pittsburgh District posted five photos with the comment: "After two days of higher than normal precipitation in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District area, the work is just beginning at Dashields Lock and Dam on the Ohio River where the water levels crested at 26.8 ft. Once the high water recedes, the team starts the process of getting the lock ready to receive commercial traffic. This means debris removal, damage inspections, machinery cleanup and more importantly making sure that facility employees and barge crews can navigate the lock safely."

Dennis DeBruler: If you had a gated dam instead of a fixed crest dam, would you have been able to avoid flooding the lock?

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District: Dennis DeBruler These locks and dams facilities are designed for ensure we have a navigation channel all year round, they are not flood reduction facilities. There are 16 flood reduction reservoirs throughout the Pittburgh District and the operated as designed. Without these reservoirs the Point of Pittsburgh would have had been almost 6 feet higher, the Allegheny River almost 4 feet higher, the Mon almost 2 feet higher and the Ohio River would have been almost 5 feet higher.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District: We will have an update video shortly. [3:08 video]

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3:08 video @ 1:09

Montgomery Dam on the Fox River

(Satellite)

On July 25, 2017, after we had a lot of rainfall, I did a trip to take photos and videos of dams with a high river flow. This is from the east bank of the Fox River in Montgomery, IL.

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(new window) As the comments in my video indicates, I was surprised to see multiple hydraulic jumps.
 

Because I was in the area, I checked out what the dam looked like when there was less water in the river. I'm learning that the flow in the river is evidently always rather brisk. The river must be on a rather significant gradient. Also, the multiple hydraulic jumps may be caused by the dam's design since I still saw them with less water going over the dam. If so, I wonder what the design looks like.

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(new window)

I got a closeup of the high water mark on the dam's abutment. I can't figure out what caused the "jagged" watermark that is way above the regular watermarks. 

I took this photo to record that the water level was rather low. During my July 2017 visit, the water had been up on the flat grass that we see on the far bank. And the trunks of some of those trees were in the water.

At the end of the second video, I was surprised by how clear the water was. I wonder what the white stripe signifies.

A standard ogee crest dam has a curved top and a rather vertical drop to the river bed. But that design causes dangerous undertows at the face of the dam that have drowned people. It appears that this dam has a short vertical drop that then has a shallow incline down to the river bed. So instead of one huge hydraulic jump that causes a backflow towards the dam face, this design seems to have multiple, smaller jumps that acts more like a rapids instead of an undertow. Even though it is not a rolling dam, I used the "wwDamRolling" because it seems to be an alternative (safer) design to the rolling dam.

Several photos of the flooded river bank in the South Broadway Park are available in my photo log. And move photos of the dam are available in my Nov 2020 photo log.

Removal of Hammel Woods Dam from the DuPage River in Shorewood, IL

(Satellite)

safe_image for BOARD TAKES ACTION THAT WILL LEAD TO HAMMEL WOODS DAM REMOVAL

"The Hammel Woods Dam was built in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps workers. The 4-foot-high concrete and limestone dam was built to create a pool of water for recreational purposes during a time when the DuPage River had a much lower volume of water than it does now." In the past, some people objected to the removal for sentimental reasons. But now people recognize the river and safety benefits of removing a dam. The final piece of the needed funding came February 2019 from a wastewater discharge permit for the City of Naperville.[ReconnectWithNature]

I saved a satellite image since it will be changing.

Satellite

The article said that the DuPage River has five dams. Since I didn't know about this one, I spent some time looking for the other four by starting at the mouth and going upstream.

I knew of the dam near the mouth of the DuPage River that was built for the I&M Canal.

Was this one of the five?

Satellite

Then I found this Hammel Woods Dam.

The relatively new storm retention dam is the other one I knew about. Note that it does not obstruct a normal flow of water in the river. It stops only an excessive flow to reduce the flooding in downtown Naperville..

I wonder what the story is concerning this stone rubble.   Another dam remnant?  I know that Naperville used to have a dam for a mill because that is what founded the town. But I don't know where it was.

Another man-made constriction.  And another

This former dam has already been breached.

I quit looking at North Avenue because it is not much more than a drainage ditch this far north.

Since I didn't find five existing dams, I did a quick look up the East Branch to the Hidden Lake Forest Preserve. I didn't find any dams on that stretch.

Update:

People visit the DuPage River dam at the Hammel Woods Forest Preserve in Shorewood last Thursday. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
"In Will County, forest preserve commissioners Thursday approved contracts to remove a dam on the DuPage River where a young couple drowned last year. The dam, located in Hammel Woods Forest Preserve in Shorewood, was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The project involves removal of the 4-foot-high dam and an adjoining concrete structure, placing rocks and boulders in the river stream, stabilizing the bank and building a new canoe and kayak launch area.
The total cost is estimated at about $455,000. The Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition, a group of local governments aiming to improve water quality in the area, plans to fund most of the cost from fees paid by Naperville in 2019 when it got a new wastewater discharge permit."

There is a NWS hydrologic metering station here.

FloodStageBook, p24

FloodStageBook, p24

safe_image for Dangerous Hammel Woods Dam Finally Getting Removed, July 6, 2021

safe_image for DUPAGE RIVER WILL BE CLOSED IN HAMMEL WOODS AS DAM REMOVAL WORK STARTS JULY 12

July 30: 10 photos
How exactly do you safely remove a dam? Well, it's a bit of a process and that's currently playing out at Hammel Woods. Crews have been busy installing a coffer dam around the existing dam. That coffer dam will block off the river and then the area inside will be dewatered to create a dry and safe working environment. This project has resulted in closures near the work area. Get all the details on the closures and this project >>> https://bit.ly/37mRXGR. [I would think they would fill in the upper dam to stop the flow before they built the lower part.]
Tom Romanowski: I still don't even know why the had built it in the first place.
Brad Brooks: Tom Romanowski when it was built in the ‘30s, the water levels on the river were lower. It was put in to create “pooling” for recreation upstream.

Facebook
It's been a bit of a process so far, but the removal of the Hammel Woods dam has begun. After most of the water inside the cofferdam was pumped out, crews started working on removing a portion of the dam this afternoon. Work will continue on Wednesday and once this section of the dam is removed, the entire process will play out again on the other side of the river. It's also worth noting that those massive barriers, fencing and signage pointing out that this section of the preserve is closed is not merely a suggestion. People continue to enter the construction area. The lower section of Hammel Woods is closed for a reason; this is a work area with heavy equipment coming in and out. Why risk getting a ticket to see the activity when we're providing updates like this?
More on this project >>> https://bit.ly/37mRXGR.

safe_image for YOU'VE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HAMMEL WOODS DAM PROJECT, SO WE HAVE ANSWERS

FPDoWC posted four photos with the comment:

It sure has been a busy week at Hammel Woods and lots of progress has been made on the dam removal project. Today, you can see that the new kayak launch — which is just south of the dam — is taking shape, with the concrete walkway in place. Crews continue working on the cofferdam installation on the west side of the river around the remaining section of the dam. Once the cofferdam is complete, approximately 100,000 gallons of water inside it will be pumped out to create a dry working environment. Why are we doing this project? Will it affect the river levels? When will the project be done? We have the answers to all your dam questions here >>> https://bit.ly/3jNVS5g.

(Photos by Chad Merda)

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safe_image for FORMER HAMMEL WOODS DAM SITE REOPENS FOR PUBLIC USE

safe_image for A STEP-BY-STEP LOOK AT THE HAMMEL WOODS DAM REMOVAL

Screenshot

The Dam Project at Hammel Woods

The dam at Hammel Woods is gone and now that the dust has settled, it's a perfect time to take a look back at this project, which was funded by the Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition. The dam’s removal will result in a significant positive impact on the health of the river for years to come.

[If you want to see the removal itself, I suggest you skip to 4:14. This video is more about why than how the dam was removed, and thus it has a lot of talking head action.]

safe_image for WHEN THE RIVER WALL CAME DOWN: VIDEO CHRONICLES HAMMEL WOODS DAM REMOVAL

I'm saving an overview satellite image so that I can tell where it was in the future.

Satellite

I made a trip on Feb 10, 2023, to get some "after" photos. This photo from the bridge provides some context. The parking lot is on the left, the cement ribbon is the canoe/kayak access and the inlet on the right is the mouth of the creek. It had rained most of the previous day so the river was running high.

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In this Oct 2022 view, we can see the canoe access by the river because it is not under water.

Street View, Oct 2022

While street viewing, I record the water level upstream as well. I did not see any of those rock intrusions when I was there because they were buried under water. The second rock intrusion is about where the dam was.

Street View, Oct 2022

Starting from the parking lot. The bridge on the left is over the creek that empties into the river.

Quite a bit of the canoe access was under water. The dam was up by the "white line" in the trees.

This is the creek from the bridge. These are four of the ducks I saw. Some were just floating down the river.

I think this is where the dam used to be.

I noticed that the water had some turbulence a little upstream of this location. It would be interesting to see what is in the riverbed when the river level is lower.