Wrights Complex Lower Dam
title: "Wrights Complex Lower Dam" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dams-in-massachusetts", "buildings-and-structures-in-worcester-county,-massachusetts", "dams-completed-in-1890"] topic_path: "general/dams-in-massachusetts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrights_Complex_Lower_Dam" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox dam"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Wrights Lower Dam |
| image | WestWarrenQuagboag.jpg |
| image_caption | Wrights Complex Dam at Warren |
| name_official | Wrights Complex Lower Dam |
| dam_crosses | Quaboag River |
| location | Warren, Massachusetts |
| operator | Wrights Complex |
| dam_length | 80 ft (24.4 m) |
| dam_height | 16 ft (4.88 m) |
| dam_width_base | 14 ft (4.27 m) |
| opening | 1890 |
| coordinates | |
| :: |
| name = Wrights Lower Dam | image = WestWarrenQuagboag.jpg | image_caption = Wrights Complex Dam at Warren | name_official = Wrights Complex Lower Dam | dam_crosses = Quaboag River | res_name = | location = Warren, Massachusetts | operator = Wrights Complex | dam_length = 80 ft (24.4 m) | dam_height = 16 ft (4.88 m) | dam_width_base = 14 ft (4.27 m) | construction_began = | opening = 1890 | coordinates = | extra = The Wrights Complex Lower Dam spans the Quaboag River in West Warren, Massachusetts. It is a gravity dam constructed of concrete and cut stone masonry. The dam is 80 ft (24.4 m) in length and 16 ft (4.88 m) in height. This dam is part of the Chicopee River Watershed.
History
Constructed in 1890, it has withstood the floods that have taken out most of the other dams on the Quaboag River. In 2005, the Wrights Company conducted a feasibility study to return this dam to use for waterpower generation.{{cite web|url= http://www.mtpc.org/Project%20Deliverables/GB_CII_Feasibility_Wrights_Final.pdf|title=Wrights feasibility study|accessdate=2006-12-05}} Originally, this dam provided waterpower to the large Wrights Mill complex. In the early 1900s, this complex was a knitting mill that produced cloth and various industrial knitted materials. Locally produced waterpower ran the looms and ancillary machinery.
Description
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/WrightsComplexDam.jpg" caption="Wrights Complex Lower Dam in West Warren"] ::
This dam is 10.5 mi (16.9 km) downstream from the Quaboag River head at Quaboag Pond. It is the second dam of a two dam complex. Destroyed by a flood in the mid 1950s, the upper dam was never rebuilt. Because of its height, this dam is unrunnable by local kayakers and requires mandatory portage around it. A recent survey shows that this dam is capable of producing 830 kW of electricity continuously. This means that it could produce 1.6 MWh of clean electricity annually.
References
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::