The O'Shaughnessy Dam is located on the

Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...

near

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The dam forms O'Shaughnessy Reservoir, which is a major source of drinking water for the city of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

. It was completed in 1925 following recommendations of then superintendent Jerry O'Shaughnessy (for whom the dam was named). At the time, the reservoir was described as "the finest inland waterway in the United States." Located upstream of the smaller

Griggs Dam Griggs Dam is located within the Columbus, Ohio city limits, on the Scioto River near Upper Arlington, Ohio, in Franklin County. The dam forms Griggs Reservoir, which is a major source of drinking water for the city of Columbus. Named after th ...

, it provides a large area for various forms of recreation in addition to its water supply duties. The reservoir holds over a surface area of . The

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Sciot ...

is located on the east bank of the reservoir, near the dam. In 1990, the dam was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Hydroelectricity

The city of Columbus installed a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

operation on the west side of the dam, which was completed in 1987. The turbines can only be operated when there is sufficient flow, which means the dam cannot continuously produce electricity. With a head of 18 feet (5.5 m), the two turbines together produce 5 megawatts. Despite numerous repair attempts the Hydroelectric Turbines have remained offline for approximately 3 years (ostensibly as of August 2018). In January, 2021, The City of Columbus announced plans to repair the hydropower unit and restore the plant to full capacity by 2023.

References

External links

USGS Real-Time Water Data: Scioto River below O'Shaughnessy DamOhio DNR fishing map of O'Shaughnessy Reservoir
{{National Register of Historic Places Hydroelectric power plants in Ohio Dams in Ohio Buildings and structures in Delaware County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Ohio Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Neoclassical architecture in Ohio Dams completed in 1925 Energy infrastructure completed in 1925 United States local public utility dams