Sunday, July 30, 2006

Munroe Falls Dam?

Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure to accompany my father, grandfather, and my fiance Megan to the place that gave the name to Munroe Falls, the town within which I lived until I was 18. But wait, the dam, originally built in 1902 to supply water to a nearby paper plant, is gone! To restore a free flowing condition to the Cuyahoga River, Summit County pitched in thousands of dollars to remove the thirteen foot high sandstone block structure last summer. The aftermath is quite interesting. Before, the Cuyahoga River upstream of the dam was really just a lake. The wide, calm expanse even had round orange buoys strewn down the river for waterskiers to zoom in and out of. But today, that same stretch of water is now free flowing, 13 feet below its former level, and wild. The area where the dam stretched across is now merely a riffle, the name stream scientists give to areas of rivers that drop off suddenly, the water speeds up, and you might even see a little "white water." For those of you that remember the dam, the City has even created a small platform that overlooks the riffle, just like the old spot on the north side of the river. The platform even has a light, similar to the light that illuminated the old falls. My dad even commented that in the 1970's as a member of the Jaycees, he helped raise money to install the old light. The parking lot has been expanded, and it is an easy walk for most. I enjoyed visiting here with three generations of my family.

Tom

No comments:

Post a Comment