BIG BEND OVERLOOK VISITOR CENTER - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a visitor center and picnic area just downstream of the Kinzua Dam. Several overlooks provide great views of the Kinzua Dam and Allegheny Reservoir.
HOURS - Open daily (10-4) from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day / - Open weekends in September and October ... Answers 1-2 found at the Visitor Center, so plan your visit accordingly.
THIS IS SEASONAL, BUT KEEPING IT ACTIVE FOR THOSE PLANNING A VISIT.
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
NOTE: Answers via message -and- log signature picture are required to post a find for this cache.
1. MESSAGE …. GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS - To prevent this from happening at Kinzua, the solution was to ????
2. MESSAGE …. SELECTION OF SITE AND TYPE OF DAM - Site 2 was chosen because ????
3. MESSAGE …. Follow the walkway to the bird-viewing platform. Explain how the Kinzua Dam has provided habitat for attracting eagles. NOTE: Currently (June 2010) there are three nesting pair of bald eagles around the Allegheny Reservoir.
4. MESSAGE …. a. Walk along the fence from the Kinzua Dam (BEGIN) to Big Ben Overlook (END). How many miles (or feet) have you walked along the tip of this reservoir? ... b. Kinzua is a Seneca Indian term which means -----. This answer is found on one of the signs along your walk.
5. MESSAGE …. JOHNNY CASH BALLAD ... a. Listen to As Long As the Grass Shall Grow - Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian ... b. Discuss the ways construction of the dam affected the Native Americans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni_EdsL-avU ... Johnny Cash
6. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item anywhere along your route. Post a picture of your body of water. These pictures are your log signature. No spoiler pics.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A B C to your log.
A. Discover another body of water in/around the ANF, Give coordinates. Identify (river, stream, etc.). If found at a geocache/earthcache site, post picture with name of the cache and GC number instead of cooordinates.
B. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
C. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU LN for travelling and hiking with RT to complete this Earthcache Trail.
As long as the moon shall rise as long as the rivers flow
As long as the sun will shine as long as the grass shall grow
The Senecas are an Indian tribe of the Iroquios nation
Down on the New York Pennsylvania Line you'll find their reservation
After the US revolution corn planter was a chief
He told the tribe these men they could trust that was his true belief
He went down to Independence Hall and there was a treaty signed
That promised peace with the USA and Indian rights combined
George Washington gave his signature the Government gave its hand
They said that now and forever more that this was Indian land
As long as the moon shall rise...
On the Seneca reservation there is much sadness now
Washington's treaty has been broken and there is no hope no how
Across the Allegheny River they're throwing up a dam
It will flood the Indian country a proud day for Uncle Sam
It has broke the ancient treaty with a politician's grin
It will drown the Indians graveyards corn planter can you swim
The earth is mother to the the Senecas they're trampling sacred ground
Change the mint green earth to black mud flats as honor hobbles down
As long as the moon shall rise...
The Iroquios Indians used to rule from Canada way south
But no one fears the Indians now and smiles the liar's mouth
The Senecas hired an expert to figure another site
But the great good army engineers said that he had no right
Although he showed them another plan and showed them another way
They laughed in his face and said no deal Kinuza dam is here to stay
Congress turned the Indians down brushed off the Indians plea
So the Senecas have renamed the dam they call it Lake Perfidy
As long as the moon shall rise...
Washington Adams and Kennedy now hear their pledges ring
The treaties are safe we'll keep our word but what is that gurgling
It's the back water from Perfidy Lake it's rising all the time
Over the homes and over the fields and over the promises fine
No boats will sail on Lake Perfidy in winter it will fill
In summer it will be a swamp and all the fish will kill
But the Government of the USA has corrected George's vow
The father of our country must be wrong what's an Indian anyhow
As long as the moon shall rise (look up) as long as the rivers flow (are you thirsty)
As long as the sun will shine (my brother are you warm) as long as the grass shall grow ...
TYPES OF DAMS
A dam is a barrier built across a water course to hold back or control the water flow. Some dams divert the flow of river water into a pipeline, canal, or channel. Others raise the level of inland waterways to make them navigable by ships and barges. Many dams harness the energy of falling water to generate electric power. Dams also hold water for drinking and crop irrigation, and provide flood control.
According to their functions, dams serve three main purposes: storage (impound water in periods of surplus supply for use in periods of deficiency), diversion (provide sufficient pressure for pushing water into ditches, canals, or other conveyance systems), and detention (minimize the effect of sudden floods and trap sediment).
The five main types of dams are earthfill (water-impermeable clay core, and a water cut-off wall from their base to bedrock to prevent underground seepage), embankment/rockfill (uses rock instead of earth to provide stability), gravity (hold back water by the sheer force of their weight pushing downward), concrete arch (built in narrow, steep-walled canyons), and buttress (face supported by several buttresses on the downstream side).
KINZUA DAM
The Kinzua Dam, the only flood control project on the Allegheny River, was completed in 1965 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for $108 million. It is 179’ high and 1900’ long. It created the 24 mile long Allegheny Reservoir. Besides flood control, project operations provide additional benefits including drought control, hydropower, and recreational opportunities.
GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
Design of a dam requires an understanding of the nature of the soils and rock that will support the structure. Drilling is conducted to collect soil and core (rock) samples. Information gathered from observation and laboratory tests is presented in a graphical form that is called a boring log. This information plays an important role in determining the type and design of the dam.
The earth embankment of Kinzua Dam extends from the spillway to the north valley wall. Prior to construction, subsurface investigations revealed that layers of permeable sands and gravels laid beneath the future locations for the embankment. Engineers and geologists were concerned that these layers would result in piping. Piping is a phenomenon where seeping water, due to water pressure from the reservoir, erodes or washed away soil particles, leaving large voids, or pipes, in the soil. If these voids continue to erode they could lead to the failure of the dam. To prevent this from happening at Kinzua, the solution was to ????
SELECTION OF SITE AND TYPE OF DAM
The 3 mile long Kinzua Gorge at Big Bend was chosen as the location of the proposed 179 feet high concrete gravity dam. The gorge provides a narrow stretch of river to locate the dam and the valley widens upstream to provide a man-made lake called Allegheny Reservoir. Two sites were considered. Site 2 was chosen because ????
DAM CONSTRUCTION
EARTH EMBANKMENT – impervious water tight soil material such as clay 1099’ long.
CUTOFF WALL – 2’ thick tied into bedrock and the impervious blanket of the earthen dam. Wall is 1066’ long and 53’-175’ in depth.
CONCRETE SECTION – 500,000 cubic yards of concrete, 779’ long.
SLUICE GATES – 8 gates, 5’8” wide by 10’ tall are used to pass water through the dam.
CREST GATES – Also known as tainter gates, these gates can be lowered on top of the concrete spillway for additional water storage in the lake during high flow conditions.
FLOOD CONTROL and CULTURAL IMPACT
In 1965, the completion of the federally-sponsored Kinzua Dam for flood-control in northwestern Pennsylvania east of Warren created the long Allegheny Reservoir, The Reservoir is 24 miles long, has 91 miles of shoreline, and has a maximum depth of 130’. Since its completion in 1965, Kinzua has prevented flood damages estimated to be in excess of $1 billion. The reservoir also provides water to be released during dry periods. These releases have the effect of reducing pollution and improving the quality and quantity of water for domestic, industrial and recreation uses. Flow regulation also helps to maintain navigable depths for commercial traffic on the Allegheny and upper Ohio Rivers.
Another benefit of the Kinzua project is hydroelectric power. A power plant is operated by the First Energy Corporation. Its peak capacity is 400,000 kilowatts per hour. The Big Bend Visitor Center contains displays which illustrate the hydroelectric process.
Totally surrounded by forest, Kinzua Dam and Allegheny Reservoir are at the heart of one of the largest and most popular outdoor recreation complexes in the northeastern United States. The Middle Allegheny River Water Trail is 107 river miles long, starting at Kinzua Dam and ending at the community of Emlenton, just upstream of the I-80 bridge. In 1992, 86.6 miles of the Allegheny was designated Wild and Scenic. This designation comprises three segments of the river located in Warren, Forest and Venango Counties.
The dam flooded parts of lands deeded "forever" to the Seneca tribe and to Cornplanter and his descendants. (The event is described in the Johnny Cash tune "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow.") The Seneca Indians have a long and rich history in the area. A museum containing exhibits on the history, culture and folklore of the Seneca is located in the city of Salamanca.
RIVERSIDE WATCHABLE WILDLIFE TRAIL
Below the Dam, the Allegheny River is designated a wild and scenic river. There is a ½ mile long guided nature trail that begins at the kiosk and ends at a bird-viewing platform.
WATER CACHES
All the water caches are a THANK YOU
to Earth Mother for her life-sustaining waters.
The depth of a soul is not measured by what appears on the surface.
