MT. MORRIS, N.Y. -- The Mt. Morris Dam's 750,000 cubic yards of concrete keep the Genesse River at bay.
"It can store over 98 billion gallons of water behind it and we exercise that when we need to prevent flood damages in downstream areas," said Steve Winslow, Manager of Mt. Morris Dam and Recreation Area for the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
Since it was finished in 1951, Mt. Morris Dam has kept Rochester and surrounding cities dry. Over the past 63 years, the dam has prevented about $2 billion in flood damage.
Even though the river is low now, there's a need to make sure the aging infrastructure stays in tip-top shape.
"We are trying to identify any risks or any developing issues so we can incorporate that into our preventative matienence practices," Winslow said.
Enter the handful of men and women from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who were at the structure Wednesday to give it a check-up.
"We have geo-technical engineers, geologists, structural engineers, hydraulic engineers, electrical and mechanical engineers," Carm Marranca, Dam Safety Program Manager said.
Daily and annually the dam is inspected, but this 5-year periodic inspection is especially thorough. The team is looking to see how much the dam has moved and check on the wear and tear of the operating systems.
"The beginnings of new cracking, leakage, seepage and what we call piping, which is an actual erosion of an area," Marranca said. "Overall it's looking real, real good.”
It's a picturesque mixture of the power of man and nature, all meant to keep the Genesse in its riverbed.
"It looks like it's just sitting there doing its thing, but there's a lot of activity that goes into making sure it's doing its mission safely," Winslow said.