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Ohio inventions and firsts · Achievement · 1915-1922

Miami Conservancy District flood protection

After the March 1913 Great Dayton Flood the Miami Conservancy District was organized in 1915 under engineer Arthur E. Morgan; five dry dams (Englewood, Germantown, Huffman, Lockington, Taylorsville) were built 1919-1922, plus levees and channel work.

At a glance

Year
1915-1922
By
Arthur Ernest Morgan
Company
Miami Conservancy District
Place
Dayton, Montgomery County ZIP 45402 · Dayton · Montgomery County

The story

In March 1913 heavy rain hit the Great Miami River valley. Eight to eleven inches fell over three days on wet ground, and the river reached about 100,000 cubic feet per second. The levees at Dayton failed on March 25, and water stood about 20 feet deep downtown. About 360 people died, nearly 65,000 were displaced, and some 20,000 homes were destroyed, with damage of about $100 million in 1913 dollars.

Dayton's leaders chose to protect the whole river valley rather than just build higher walls. Arthur Ernest Morgan designed the system. Ohio's Vonderheide Act, signed March 17, 1914, allowed the district, which was organized in 1915. It was paid for mostly by local taxes, not federal money, which was unusual.

The district built five dry dams, from 1919 to 1922: Englewood (110 feet high, on the Stillwater River), Germantown (100 feet), Huffman (65), Lockington (69) and Taylorsville (67). They are earth dams that stay empty in normal times and hold back water in a flood. Levees and river channel work were part of the plan, and the total cost was more than $32 million.

The system has worked. It has prevented severe flooding more than 1,500 times since it was finished. It was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972, and the success helped lead Morgan to the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933.

Timeline

  • 1913-03-21: A multi-day flood hits Dayton; levees fail on March 25. (Dayton, OH) source
  • 1914-03-17: The Vonderheide Act is signed, allowing conservancy districts in Ohio. (Columbus, OH) source
  • 1915: The Miami Conservancy District is organized. (Dayton, OH) source
  • 1918: Construction begins. (Miami Valley, OH) source
  • 1922: Five dry dams and the channel work are completed. (Miami Valley, OH) source
  • 1933: Arthur Morgan is chosen to design and run the TVA's dam system. source
  • 1972: The district is named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. (Dayton, OH) source

What it changed

  • The district has prevented severe flooding more than 1,500 times since 1922, according to Wikipedia.
  • Five dams, from 65 to 110 feet high, protect the valley.
  • The 1913 flood killed about 360 and destroyed about 20,000 homes.

Why it matters

Funded almost entirely by local taxes; a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (1972) and an inspiration for the TVA.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.