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Ohio’s Hoover Dam and Reservoir
Westerville, Ohio
Not many people know there is a dam in Ohio named Hoover Dam. Contrary to belief though, it is not named after the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, but instead after two brothers who worked for the Columbus Water Department, Charles P. and Clarence B. Hoover. It is located just north of Columbus in Westerville, Ohio.
The Hoover Dam structure was built to form the water reservoir that still serves as one of the main water sources for the city of Columbus. It holds over 20 billion gallons of water and covers an area larger than five miles.
We have lived in Ohio most all of our lives and had never visited this dam and reservoir. We were on our way to Columbus anyway so we figured it was time.
The dam is concrete and stands 94 feet high, while it is 2,583 feet long. We pulled into the Observation Deck Parking Lot first and walked a short distance to view the dam. On the day we were there, it was dry behind the dam. City workers could be seen doing maintenance work.
The trail and road was well maintained. There are many miles of hiking trails and walking paths around the reservoir. I was impressed with how nice the area was.
Next we drove to Hoover Reservoir Park.
Construction of the dam began in 1953. It was completed in 1955 but didn’t officially open until 1958.
The park is a great place to picnic, bird watch, or fish. Boating, kayaking, and canoeing are also common on the water.
There are several ideal places to pull over and fish from the bank.
It was a beautiful day to visit the Hoover Dam and Reservoir in central Ohio. I am glad we took the time to finally see this beautiful slice of nature.
