Embrey Dam

“In 1910, Embrey Dam was built slightly downstream of an 1853 crib dam. The 22-foot-high, 770-foot structure generated hydroelectric power until the 1960s. The city also used water diverted by the dam into the Rappahannock Canal as a water source for its public water supply until early 2000. the dam had outlived its original purpose and was in a state of disrepair, prompting federal, state, and local officials to work with environmental and conservation groups to remove the dam and reopen the river. In 2004, the dam was removed by the Army Corps of Engineers, restoring the river for American and hickory shad and other migratory species.”

Read more in this report on removing historic dams (p.28).