Croton Dam (Michigan)
Croton Dam | |
---|---|
MW | |
Croton Hydroelectric Plant | |
Architect | William D. Fargo |
NRHP reference No. | 79001165[3] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | August 8, 1979 |
Designated MSHS | August 16, 1979 |
Croton Dam (or Croton Hydroelectric Plant) is an earth-filled
History
The history of the Croton dam is intertwined with the history of William A. Foote (1854–1915) and James B. Foote (1867–1924), brothers from Adrian, Michigan, with a burgeoning electric power empire, along with William G. Fargo, a Jackson-based civil engineer who designed similar hydroelectric plants throughout the Midwest.[1][7]
William A. Foote was a 30-year-old
Predecessor projects
The Foote brothers' first projects in Jackson, Battle Creek and Adrian, like most pre-1900 electric power projects, were created for street lighting, with some limited residential and business lighting. Since transmission of electricity over long distances was not well understood, they were situated near the cities they served. But the demand for power was growing, driven by among other things, the advent of the
Damming the Muskegon
Construction
Fargo developed new methods for construction of earth embankment dams on foundations of soft soils, which made use of
Fargo then built a pumping plant employing seven electric powered rotary pumps, to move river water up a 10-inch (250 mm) pipeline to a bluff about 110 feet (34 m) above the Muskegon River. A diameter reduction to 4 inches (100 mm) increased the pressure to about 80 PSI, and the water was fed into nozzles via flexible rubber hoses. The high pressure streams of water carried away a soil water mix into iron troughs which routed the material about 800 feet (240 m) at a slight downgrade back to the dam site. As the material was deposited it was layered, and the water allowed to drain off, compacting it. During this phase, the river was allowed to run through the powerhouse raceways and out the spillway.[1][13]
The Croton Dam is one of the earliest examples of the use of this technique east of the Mississippi River. The chief advantage of the hydraulic sluicing method was its cost. The total cost of constructing the 370-foot-long (110 m) embankment, which contained 104,000 cubic yards (80,000 m3) of material, was only $7,076, or about 7 cents per cubic yard of material moved. Fargo also used this method to construct a fill of 20,000 cubic yards (15,000 m3) for a highway bridge crossing the Muskegon River immediately downstream from the dam. The fill Fargo built for the highway bridge approach cost roughly the same.[1][13]
The Croton powerhouse has two adjoining asymmetrically connected buildings: the generator building on the west and the turbine building to the east arranged in an L shape. About 3,000 oak timber pilings support a concrete foundation, with the perimeter walls supported on sheet steel pilings, which also prevent water from undercutting the foundation. The two buildings are about 60 feet (18 m) in height, with Warren trusses supporting the roofs, and extend about 150 by 80 feet (46 by 24 m).[14]
Two reinforced concrete retaining walls extend 40 feet (12 m) upstream from the northeast and northwest corners of the generator building, forming a triangle and serve as an anchor for a floating trash boom which keeps refuse out of the turbine pits. A similar triangle is formed by two reinforced concrete retaining walls extending 50 feet (15 m) downriver from the south side of the generator building. A concrete retaining wall extends an additional 140 feet (43 m) south from the tip of this triangle.[14]
When the generator building first went into operation, it housed two
The Croton Dam and hydro plant were completed in 1907, and a grand opening was held on September 7, 1907 in the village (named after Croton-on-Hudson, New York).[12] Contemporary accounts report that "Grand Rapids Mayor George Ellis and a large contingent of city and business officials journeyed north to the village of Croton on a special train. After touring the big dam, they adjourned to a nearby field for a fine dinner, followed by cigars and a friendly baseball game."[4]
In order to achieve efficient power transmission over 50 miles (80 km) to Grand Rapids, a 100,000-volt high
Modifications
A significant revamping and expansion of generating capacity was carried out in 1915. Additional turbines and generators were added, blurring the distinction between the buildings. The generator building got pairs of Allis-Chalmers quadriplex horizontal turbines to drive the Westinghouse horizontal generators. Each pair of turbines is rated at 4,000 horsepower when operated at 225 RPM with a hydraulic head of 39 feet (12 m). The operating voltage of the two original Westinghouse horizontal generators was raised to 7,500 volts, with a corresponding increase in the line voltage from 110,000 to 115,000 volts.[14]
The turbine building was modified to take more equipment, resulting in a rearrangement of the walls to enlarge it and addition of a gable to it, similar in appearance to that on the generator building. It has a much higher floor than the generator building and received a pair of vertical turbine/generator sets.[14]
The transformers and switching equipment were removed from the generator building in 1930, when a separate switchyard/substation went into service to the west of the spillway.
Legacy
A historical marker sign was placed at the Croton Dam, after its completion. It read:
The Grand Rapids - Muskegon Power Company (a predecessor to today's Consumers Energy Company) built the Croton Hydroelectric Plant in 1906 - 1907. The plant and its 110,000-volt transmission line (the highest voltage in use at that time) attracted international attention. Curious spectators rode excursion trains to the site, where they received a tour of the dam and powerhouse, as well as a grand dinner. When the plant went into full service in September 1907 it represented the latest advances in electric power generation and transmission. Engineers from Russia, England, France, Italy, Japan, and India came to tour the plant when it opened. The facility is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[15]
The Croton Hydroelectric Plant was listed with the Michigan State Register and was awarded a Michigan Historical Marker (site S0684). The marker was replaced with a new one in 2005.[15] The site was then listed with the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as structure ID #79001165.[3]
Impact and incidents
While Croton advanced the state of the art in hydroelectric engineering, it also submerged significant sections of scenic and fast-flowing stretches of the Muskegon and Little Muskegon rivers.[5] Some conservationists believe that Croton Dam and the other dams on the Muskegon divide the 219-mile (352 km) long river into shorter, ecologically dysfunctional units.[5] It blocks passage of fish from one river section to the next. It allegedly causes potentially harmful changes in water temperature and oxygen levels in a stretch of the river downstream of the dam, according to company data.[5]
The dam was threatened by rainfall during the flood of September 1986. The Croton and Hardy nearly failed during the peak of the flood, caused by a storm that dumped 14 inches (36 cm) of rain on West Michigan in 48 hours. Consumers Energy officials stated that "had the Hardy Dam failed, the Croton Dam would have been washed away and every community from Croton to Muskegon would have been submerged under several feet of water".[5]
Subsequently, in 1989, Michigan state fisheries director John Robertson characterized hydroelectric dams as "concrete and steel monsters" and suggested 11 Consumers Energy dams be removed from the Muskegon, Manistee and AuSable rivers.[5] Local officials then gathered petition signatures from 14,000 people who supported keeping the dams.[5] The federal government has relicensed the dams through 2034, but has required operating changes reducing their harmful effects on the Muskegon River.[5]
Current status
The Croton Dam and hydroelectric plant is owned and operated by Consumers Energy, an electric power company headquartered in Jackson, Michigan. Croton generated 44 million kilowatt hours of electricity in 2006, which would satisfy the annual electric consumption of about 6,000 residential customers.[4]
The three dams, Rogers, Hardy, and Croton (all owned and operated by Consumers Energy), are operated in different modes but in concert give a net
Together, the three dams (Rogers, Hardy and Croton) can generate about 45,500 kilowatts, with about 30,000 of that from the Hardy.[6] Consumers Energy to discuss the future of its 13 hydropower dams in community talks: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/09/consumers-energy-to-discuss-the-future-of-its-13-hydropower-dams-in-community-talks.html
See also
- List of dams and reservoirs in Michigan
- List of Registered Historic Places in Newaygo County, Michigan
References
- ^ a b c d e Hyde, Dr. Charles K. (October 1994). "Historic American Engineering Record, CROTON HYDROELECTRIC PLANT, DAM" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ Hyde, Dr. Charles K. (May 1994). "Historic American Engineering Record, CROTON HYDROELECTRIC PLANT, POWERHOUSE" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Croton Dam 1907-2007 Centennial Celebration brochure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Jeff Alexander. "Historic Croton Dam changed West Michigan". Muskegon Chronicle. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Muskegon River Hydroelectric Resources". Consumers Energy. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Hydroelectric Power in Michigan - The Consumers Energy Story, and The Lyons Connection" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ Michael W. Panhorst. "Outdoor Sculpture in Jackson, Michigan". Ella Sharpe Museum. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ a b "Consumers Power Co. company history". Answers.com. Retrieved June 11, 2008.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Hydrology: Rivers of Michigan". Archived from the original on April 22, 2005. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ An image of Michigan's inland drainage basins is here[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "The sunken village under Croton Pond". Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c Fargo, William G. (October 24, 1907). "Hydraulic Excavation and Dam Building at the Croton and Lyons Dams in Michigan". Engineering News. 58 (17): 429–431.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hyde, Charles K. (1994). "Croton Hydroelectric Plant, Powerhouse" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- ^ a b text of marker, marker data from "Croton Hydroelectric Plant page". Michigan Historical Markers site. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ "Balancing Flows and Power Production along the Muskegon River" (PDF). 2005 Hydro Reporter, pages 9 and 11, found embedded in the Michigan Hydro History PDF. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 14, 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
External links
- Image while under construction from Consumers Energy site
- Park and Recreational information from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Fisheries information from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Dam impact study from the city of Big Rapids, Michigan
- Croton-Hardy Business Alliance
- Historic American Engineering Record(HAER) documentation, filed under Croton Dam Road at Muskegon River, Croton, Newaygo County, MI:
- HAER No. MI-81, "Croton Hydroelectric Plant"
- HAER No. MI-81-A, "Croton Hydroelectric Plant, Dam"
- HAER No. MI-81-B, "Croton Hydroelectric Plant, Powerhouse"
- HAER No. MI-81-C, "Croton Hydroelectric Plant, Spillway"
- HAER No. MI-81-D, "Croton Hydroelectric Plant, Substation"
- Croton Dam at Structurae