Dams Construction
The Federal Dam (Troy) is a manmade dam built across the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York from Troy on the east bank to Green Island on the west bank. The major function of the dam is to improve navigability. It is located at mile 153 of the Hudson River, measuring from the beginning of the Hudson as a Federally Navigable Waterway near the Battery in Manhattan. The location of the dam marks the upper end of the Hudson River estuary.
In order to allow ships to move freely, the eastern end of the dam contains a lock, commonly called the Federal Lock or (on some charts and publications) the "Troy-US Lock." The lock, which was opened in 1916, has a single chamber and is 520 feet (160 m) long, 45 feet (14 m) wide, 17 feet (5.2 m) deep, and has a lift of approximately 14 feet (4.3 m). Although it is the first lock encountered by vessels passing from the Hudson River into the Great Lakes by way of the New York State Canal System, and it is sometimes referred to as lock "E-1," it is not part of the Erie Canal (which officially has no "Lock 1"), nor maintained by the New York State Canal Corporation. Both the lock and the dam were built and are currently operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; as of September 2006, it was listed as being in "Operational" condition.
After the lock and dam was constructed and the federal government decided to not pursue development of federal hydropower at the site, Henry Ford and his friends Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone were camping near the dam. Ford saw the potential for hydropower and in 1918 he petitioned Congress for permission to construct a non-Federal hydropower facility.
In 1921, Ford and his sons were the first citizens in the United States to secure a license for development of private power at a federal facility. As a condition, Ford was required to supply power free of charge for operation and maintenance of the Troy Lock and Dam.
This was the first time that the federal government allowed for private development of hydropower at a civil works project and it took an Act of Congress to get it done. Today, many of the Army Corps’ civil works projects across the country have private hydropower development and it all started with the Troy Lock and Dam project. More details
After the lock and dam was constructed and the federal government decided to not pursue development of federal hydropower at the site, Henry Ford and his friends Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone were camping near the dam. Ford saw the potential for hydropower and in 1918 he petitioned Congress for permission to construct a non-Federal hydropower facility.
In 1921, Ford and his sons were the first citizens in the United States to secure a license for development of private power at a federal facility. As a condition, Ford was required to supply power free of charge for operation and maintenance of the Troy Lock and Dam.
