Group Hopes to Topple Several Western Pennsylvania Dams
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
1 April 2012
By Bill Zlatos
Some dams in Western Pennsylvania may soon be tumbling down.
American Rivers, a Washington-based environmental group with an
office in Edgewood, will remove the Commodore Dam on Hinty Run in
Indiana County by the fall. That will be the first of three to
five dams that the group will remove or prepare for removal
through a $1 million grant from the Richard King Mellon
Foundation.
"Ninety-seven percent of the time, it's a good thing (to remove a
dam) because it puts the stream to its original natural state,"
said Denny Tubbs, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission. "There are several hundred we would like to remove but
funding is not available."
There are 3,400 known dams in Western Pennsylvania, said Lisa
Hollingsworth-Segedy, American Rivers' associate director for
river restoration. Of these, 94 are in Westmoreland County, 79 in
Washington County, 74 in Butler County, 71 in Allegheny County, 29
in Beaver County, 28 in Indiana County and 17 in Armstrong County.
The dams provided a source of water and power and assisted in
transportation and recreation, she said. While some dams pre-date
regulations, the state has designs and permits on file for dams
built more than 100 years ago, she said.
She said her group is considering taking out dams on Chartiers
Creek in Allegheny and Washington counties, Peters Creek in
Washington County, Laurel Hill Creek in Somerset County, the
French Creek Watershed in Crawford County and Kettle Creek
Watershed in Potter and Clinton counties.
She said dam removal may cost less than $1,000 and as much as
$500,000.
The earthen Commodore Dam will cost about $80,000 to remove but
would have cost about $500,000 to repair, she said.
American Rivers chose the dam as its first project because Hinty
Run is fairly clean and can serve as a refuge for fish trying to
escape the contaminated water of the Conemaugh River system and as
a habitat for spawning and raising young fish.
River experts cited several reasons for removing dams.
Dams slow down and warm up the water, allowing it to become
polluted. Warm water is bad for fish such as trout.
"The best thing we can do is remove any barrier possible," said
Eric Chapman, director of aquatic science for the Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy. "It helps to restore the habitat. If you
put a dam somewhere, it forms a lake. It raises the water
temperature. Some species like brook trout can't handle it."
Dams cause sediment to build up. The silt fills spaces in the
gravel and cobble where trout like to spawn and mayflies and
stoneflies live.
The conservancy worked with American Rivers four years ago to
remove two dams upstream of Fallingwater in Fayette County. The
conservancy removed another dam on Little Mahoning Creek in
Indiana County two years ago and plans to remove another dam later
this year on Morrison Run in Venango County.
Another key benefit for removing dams is safety. The waterfalls of
dams attract thrill seekers and create a dangerous washing machine
effect at the bottom.
"Most dams are drowning machines," Hollingsworth-Segedy said.
Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or 412-320-7828.