Milldam
A mill dam (International English) or milldam (US) is a dam constructed on a waterway to create a mill pond.
Water passing through a dam's spillway is used to turn a water wheel and provide energy to the many varieties of watermill. By raising the water level so that the overflow has farther to fall, a milldam increases the potential energy that a mill can harness and use for various tasks.
Examples
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 include:
Bramley Millpond in Bramley, Surrey
Ifield Millpond in Ifield, West Sussex
Valebridge Millpond on the outskirts of Burgess Hill, West Sussex
Mill Dam, Shapinsay in the Orkney Islands
Examples in the United States include:
Milldam Rice Mill in Georgetown County, South Carolina
Atwater Millpond in Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Ballardvale Millpond in Ballardvale, Massachusetts
Bigler's Millpond in Bigler's Mill, Virginia
Crump's Millpond in Quinton, Virginia