Mohawk Dam, located in Jefferson Township, Coshocton County, Ohio northwest of Nellie, is a dry dam constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the mid-1930s for the purpose of flood control on the Walhonding River. The dam is part of the larger 18-county Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD). The dam has been in service for 70 years and was recently placed on the USACE's "Urgent" dam safety classification list and plans are currently being drafted that would allocate funds for dam stabilization.HistoryConstruction of the Mohawk Dam was started in April 1935 and was completed in September 1937. The dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and was built as a dry dam along with 13 other dams in the Muskingum River Watershed for flood control and water conservation. The dam was built right across the right-of-way of the Walhonding Canal, which ran from Coshocton to Cavallo.The dam has always operated as a dry dam, holding back water only during a flood and releasing it slowly downstream. The highest water level ever recorded at the Mohawk Dam was during the flood of January 2005, where the water reached a height of 80.01ft above its normal level.
