The Muskingum Project intake structures serve to release water on a regular basis to maintain desired reservoir heights, but not to a degree requiring discharge through the spillways. Reservoir water is usually directed to the base of the tower via a conduit, and then into sluice gates that regulate flows. These towers are a hallmark of each Project and their striking architectural values reveal the widespread influence of modern industrial design during the Depression. Several towers exhibit modern design influences in their geometry, simple massing, ribbed buttresses, light fixtures, moldings, and bridge railings.