The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Red Oaks Mill Dam: Fading Fast

    A combination of neglect and last year’s storms demolished much of the Red Oaks Mill dam:

    Red Oaks Mill dam - after collapse
    Red Oaks Mill dam – after collapse

    The linear “rocks” just downstream of the dam are sections of the concrete cap:

    Red Oaks Mill dam - displaced concrete
    Red Oaks Mill dam – displaced concrete

    With the cap gone, the concrete-and-rock fill should disintegrate in short order:

    Red Oaks Mill dam - crumbled section
    Red Oaks Mill dam – crumbled section

    Upstream of the rubble, the Wappingers Creek dropped about three feet, exposing bedrock and undercutting the old shoreline:

    Red Oaks Mill dam - exposed creek bed
    Red Oaks Mill dam – exposed creek bed

    Downstream, not much changed. This wasn’t a catastrophic dam break that wiped entire towns off the map.

    In February 2005, the fishing must have been pretty good:

    Red Oaks Mill Dam - 27 Feb 2005
    Red Oaks Mill Dam – 27 Feb 2005

    It’s endured quite a few floods like this one in February 2008:

    Flood Stage in Red Oaks Mill
    Flood Stage in Red Oaks Mill

    But in June 2008, after the waters receded, you could tell things weren’t right:

    Red Oaks Mill Dam - 2008
    Red Oaks Mill Dam – 2008

    Looks like a shovel-ready project to me…