Cheers to Greene Township on Scotland Pond Dam Removal – American Rivers

As a result of the dam removal project, approximately 1,000 feet of previously-impounded aquatic habitat will be restored!

The removal of the two ScotlandPond dams on Conococheague Creek is one of many major infrastructural upgrades GreeneTownship, Franklin County, PA, is adding to improve their township for localsand visitors alike.

In Fall 2019, two dams functioning as one on ConococheagueCreek were removed by Greene Township in Pennsylvania in collaboration with AmericanRivers, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC), Scotland Campus,Inc. (SCI), ECS Mid-Atlantic (lead engineer) and RiverLogic (construction firm).

Prior to the 18-day long deconstruction, the two damssat adjacent to one another on either side of a small river island on ConococheagueCreek. Approximately 1,000 feet of the creek has now been restored and supportsmore biodiverse habitats, aquatic wildlife and natural transport of richsediments downstream for the breeding grounds of native aquatic organisms.

Like many other dams, the Scotland Pond dams had faroutlived their original purpose. They had become deteriorated and posed a riskto public safety in addition to their negative ecological impacts and thefinancial burden of maintenance.

Greene Township (the Township), Franklin County, hometo more than 16,000 residents and located within the Chambersburg designatedMicropolitan Area, is currently experiencing a municipal renaissance. Overthe last several years, the Township has worked diligently to promote, develop,and plan for infrastructure and recreational improvements in the community projects that will ultimately have a significant impact on how residents andvisitors spend their leisure and travel time in the area. Upon completion ofthe improvements, a significant revitalization in the targeted Scotlandcommunity will be realized. Scotland is home to the Greene Township MunicipalPark, Corker Hill Barn and Homestead, Scotland Campus, Inc. (SCI) and willeventually contain a portion of the proposed Conococheague Trail. In addition, theConococheague Creek runs through several Franklin County municipalities,including the Village of Scotland.

So far, four other dams (Birch Run Reservoir, SiloamDam, Wilson College Dam and Wolf Lake Dam) have been removed from theConococheague Creek, leaving just one more remaining dam that is known of. Ifthat final dam is removed, the 57 miles of its 80 mile stretch in Pennsylvaniawould flow completely freely and uninterrupted.

The decision to remove the Scotland Pond dams allowed GreeneTownship to move forward with projects to add impactful recreationalopportunities, such as the creation of a water trail along the creek and akayak/canoe launch. Greene Township now benefits from beautiful, healthy waterwaysthe local people and visitors can enjoy and will hopefully inspire others totake the same initiatives in their communities. This is a notable model projectfor any municipalities considering removing an outdated dam.

This project received financial support from AmericanRivers through a subgrant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, aswell as the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development,Commonwealth Financing Authority Watershed Restoration and Protection Program Grant.

Special thank you to American Rivers intern, HannahPiatak, for her contributions to this blog and her help compiling our annuallist of 2019 dam removals. Check out our updated map and database of damremovals here.Additional gratitude to Greene Township for their contribution to this blog.

See the rest here:
Cheers to Greene Township on Scotland Pond Dam Removal - American Rivers