A mill dam (International English) or milldam (US) is a dam constructed on a

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary ...

to create a mill pond.

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

passing through a dam's

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure t ...

is used to turn a

water wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buck ...

and provide energy to the many varieties of

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the productio ...

. By raising the water level so that the overflow has farther to fall, a milldam increases the

potential energy In physics, potential energy is the energy held by an object because of its position relative to other objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors. Common types of potential energy include the gravitational potentia ...

that a mill can harness and use for various tasks.

Examples

{{No sources, section, date=November 2021 Listed are here are some of the many examples of historic milldams and millponds (or place names taken from them). Examples in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

include: *

Bramley Millpond Bramley may refer to: People * Bramley (surname) Places Australia * Bramley, Western Australia England * Bramley, Derbyshire * Bramley, Hampshire * Bramley, Rotherham, South Yorkshire * Bramley, Surrey * Bramley, Leeds **Bramley Buffaloe ...

in Bramley, Surrey * Ifield Millpond in Ifield,

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an a ...

* Valebridge Millpond on the outskirts of Burgess Hill,

* Mill Dam, Shapinsay in the

Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) no ...

Examples in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

include: * Milldam Rice Mill and Rice Barn in

Georgetown County, South Carolina Georgetown County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,404. Its county seat is Georgetown. The county was founded in 1769. It is named for George III of the United Kingdom. Geor ...

* Atwater Millpond in Kalamazoo County, Michigan * Ballardvale Millpond in

Ballardvale, Massachusetts Ballardvale (sometimes written archaically as ''BallardVale'' or ''Ballard Vale'') is a village located within the boundaries of the town of Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Growing originally in the 19th century around mil ...

* Bigler's Millpond in Bigler's Mill, Virginia * Crump's Millpond in

Quinton, Virginia Quinton is a small unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States. It is located on State Route 249 in the western portion of the county. Crump's Mill and Millpond Crump's Mill and Millpond is a historic grist mill and mi ...

* Gardy's Millpond in Westmoreland and Northumberland County, Virginia * Glovers Millpond in Glascock County, Georgia * Goodrich Millpond in

Genesee County, Michigan Genesee County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 406,211, making it the fifth-most populous county in Michigan. The county seat and population center is Flint (birthplace of General Motors ...

* Goodwin's Millpond in

Marlboro County, South Carolina Marlboro County is a county located in the Pee Dee region on the northern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 26,667. Its county seat is Bennettsville. The Great Pee Dee River runs through it. M ...

* Hands Millpond in

Cape May County, New Jersey Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are fi ...

* Merchants Millpond State Park in

Gates County, North Carolina Gates County is a small, rural county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of North Carolina, on the border with Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,478. Its county seat is Gatesville. Gates County is inclu ...

Millpond A mill pond (or millpond) is a body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill. Description Mill ponds were often created through the construction of a mill dam or weir (and mill stream) across a waterway. In many places, the co ...

, a small lake in Butler, New York * Millpond Acres in

Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County is located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 237,378. The county seat is Georgetown, Delaware, Georgetown. The first ...

* Millpond Park in

Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Central Michigan, the city is the county seat of Isabella County. The population was 21,688 as of the 2020 United States census. It is surrounded by Union Township but is polit ...

* Millpond Plantation in Thomas County, Georgia * Millpond Reservoir in

Burlington, Massachusetts Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,377 at the 2020 census. History It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, Yorkshire, but this has never b ...

References

Dams Watermills de:Mühlenstau