Delhi Dam

Delhi Dam, also known as Hartwick Dam,

was an embankment dam on the
Maquoketa River 2.5 km southwest of
Delhi, Iowa that created Lake Delhi. The
dam was over-topped and subsequently
failed on July 24, 2010 after a period of
heavy rain.
 Delhi Dam

Location of
Delhi Dam in
Iowa

Location Delhi Township,

Delaware County, near
Delhi, Iowa

Coordinates 42°24′28″N
91°20′43″W

Construction began 1922

Opening date 1929

Owner(s) Lake Delhi Recreation

Association
 Dam and spillways

Type of dam Embankment,
concrete outlet
section

Height 59 ft (18 m)[1]

Length 704 ft (215 m)

(Concrete section)

Spillway type Service, gate-

controlled ogee

Spillway capacity 32,000 cu ft/s
(910 m3/s)

Reservoir

Creates Lake Delhi

Total capacity 3,790 acre⋅ft
(4,670,000 m3)
Catchment area 347 sq mi (900 km2)[2]
Surface area 218 ha (2.18 km2)

Power Station

Commission date 1929

Decommission date 1968

Turbines 2

Installed capacity 1.5 MW (Proposed)

Website
Lake Delhi Recreation Association

The dam and lake are part of the Turtle

Creek Recreation Area, and is owned by a
local community group.[3]

History
The dam was built between 1922 and
1929 by the Interstate Power Company for
hydroelectric power production, but its
generators ceased operating in 1973
shortly before the Lake Delhi Recreation
Association took ownership.[4][5] Since
then, it has been used for recreation.
Several floods in 2008 caused an
estimated $500,000 in damages to the
dam and its floodgates. In October 2008,
the Association signed a partnership with
Modern Hydro to have the power plant's
turbines refurbished and
recommissioned.[6] The new power plant
was to have two turbine generators with a
1.5 MW capacity able to produce 3 GWh of
electricity annually for sale to the local
power utility.[7] $1.5 million in funding was
sought by the Iowa Power Fund and power
production was expected as early as
2010.[6] The dam was cited for minor
problems during a 2009 Iowa Department
of Natural Resources safety inspection.[8]

2010 failure …

The southern embankment of the Delhi

Dam failed on July 24, due to a period of
about 10 inches (250 mm) of rainfall in
twelve hours.[9] Before the breach, river
levels upstream of the dam had reached
24.22 ft (7.38 m),[10] 10 feet (3 m) above
flood stage and breaking the May 2004
record of 21.66 ft (6.60 m).[11] However,
the stream flow at the time was
1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s) less than the 2004
record peak stream flow of 26,000 cu ft/s
(740 m3/s). Only two of the dam's three
spillway gates were fully open.[12] Water
eventually overtopped the dam, causing a
200 ft (61 m) long portion of the
embankment and roadway to erode away
and the lake to empty.[13] Around 8,000
people in downstream areas like
Hopkinton and Monticello had to be
evacuated.[14] The breach caused damage
estimated in the millions of dollars thus
far. In Monticello, 50 homes and 20
businesses received major flood damage
among other damaged structures. The
city's sewage treatment plant was also
flooded, leaving residents without sewer
services. Property owners that live near
the lake pay special taxes to have the Lake
Delhi Recreation Association (LDRA)
maintain it, and replacement of the dam is
uncertain, as the LDRA is in debt from
previous lake-dredging costs.[13]

In December 2010, an independent panel

of engineers published a study that
determined the cause of the failure "was
internal erosion in the embankment
coupled with overtopping flow". The study
believes that a malfunctioning spillway
gate and increase reservoir size may have
exacerbated an existing problem with the
dam's design. The embankment was
constructed in such a way that its fill did
not settle correctly. Within the
embankment section, a concrete wall,
designed to reinforce it, was not
constructed up to the height of the dam's
crest. That sped up internal erosion and
allowed the water to over-top the dam.[15]

Reconstruction …

By March 2012, $1.7 million in donations

was collected to replace the dam and $9
million in local and county bonds was
approved. $5 million in state funding was
then requested for repairs as well. The
cost at that time was estimated around
$12 million.[16]

In April, 2014, ground was broken on a $16

million project to replace the failed Delhi
Dam embankment and spillway.
Completion of the project is scheduled for
October, 2015. Of the cost, the state is
contributing $5 million, the county $3
million and the balance from assessments
against the local property owners.[17] In
September 2016 the river level was back
to pre-flood stage levels.
See also
Dam failure
Hope Mills Dam

References
1. "Delhi Dam" . Iowa Whitewater
Coalition. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
2. Allen, Dave (August 17, 2009). "Delhi
Dam – Dam Safety Inspection Report"
(PDF). Iowa. Retrieved August 30,
2010.
3. http://thegazette.com/2011/11/06/ow
nership-switch-to-aid-delhi-dam-
rebuilding-effort/
4. "Iowa: Owners look to reactivate
dam" . TH Online. October 11, 2008.
Archived from the original on October
16, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
5. Leys, Tony (July 25, 2010). "Delhi dam
was old but well-kept, DNR says" . Des
Moines Register. Retrieved July 26,
2010.
6. "Lake Delhi Dam May Yield Power By
2010" . iStockAnalyst. November 8,
2008. Archived from the original on
July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
7. "Federal Register" (PDF). Vol. 73, No.
166. August 26, 2008. Retrieved
July 26, 2010.
 8. "Will dam failure be end of Lake Delhi?
Culver might seek FEMA aid" . Des
Moines Register. July 25, 2010.
Retrieved July 26, 2010.
9. "Dam fails in eastern Iowa, causing
massive flooding" . CNN. July 24,
2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
10. "Streamflow Measurements for the
Nation USGS 05416900 Maquoketa
River at Manchester, IA" . United
States Geological Survey. July 24,
2010. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
11. "Peak Streamflow for Iowa – USGS
05416900 Maquoketa River at
Manchester, IA" . United States
 Geological Survey. Retrieved
August 31, 2010.
12. Leys, Tony (July 29, 2010). "Engineers
say floodgate is suspect in Delhi dam
failure" . DesMoines Register.
Retrieved July 29, 2010.
13. "Flooding from eastern Iowa river
causes millions in damage in
Monticello, engulfs sewer plant" . Fox
News/AP. July 25, 2010. Retrieved
July 26, 2010.
14. "Iowa dam fails, threatens Iowa
towns" . NBC News. July 24, 2010.
Retrieved July 24, 2010.
15. Fiedler, William; Wayne King; Neil
Schwanz; Jonathan Garton; Lori
McDaniel. "Dam Safety: What
Happened to Lake Delhi Dam?" .
HydroWorld. Retrieved March 23,
2012.
16. Murphy, Erin (March 5, 2012).
"Delaware Supervisors proceed with
$3 million bond for Lake Delhi Dam" .
THonline. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
17. Danielson, Dar (January 30, 2015).
"Lake Delhi getting closer to a refill" .
Radio Iowa. Retrieved March 12, 2015.

External links
 Lake Delhi Recreation Association
Overhead video of Delhi Dam before full
breach
Overhead video of Delhi Dam after full
breach

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title=Delhi_Dam&oldid=926790247"

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