New England Hydropower Co. has recently expressed its interest in creating long-term hydroelectric plants to collect energy from three dams in the Lehigh Valley. One of these dams is the Chain Dam in Easton. Many environmental groups are very concerned about this, making the claim that it has the potential to harm our rivers and wildlife. With the growing interest in removing dams, it’s a bit concerning to still see companies trying to use them as a source of energy.
A night photo of one of the dams Lafayette owns on the Bushkill Creek. This is the dam we looked at during class that Lafayette plans to remove. The crumbling wall that I was standing on did not feel at all safe and the slope to approach it was slippery. The plunge pool was also noticeable because as the water cascaded over the falls, the water travelled in all directions and would definitely be dangerous to be in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCQiaT1KcPo
This is the video from the talk on 11/7/2019 about the removal of dams. I found it interesting to see the affect on the communities and how their views quickly change after seeing the river return to its natural state. Specifically lots of fishermen seem happy about returning fish.
The remains of the Legacy Dam on Bushkill Creek right above where we entered earlier in the year.
Welcome river rats! This is where we will be posting our photo-essay materials.
Here is an early morning shot of the confluence of the Lehigh River (coming from the right) with the Delaware River less than a mile from campus. My commute from home takes me along the Delaware River and past this scene every day, and the mist coming off the water in front of the rising sun made me stop and marvel at the natural and unnatural beauty presented on this particular morning. Notice the dam on the right – this was built long ago to provide water to the head of the Delaware Canal, which was once a major shipping route to Philadelphia, bringing coal from eastern PA. Also seen is a railroad bridge – it was the much faster railroads that put the canal companies out of business in the 19th century. But before either one of these it was the rivers themselves that were the arteries of transportation and trade as well as a great source of food for native Americans and early colonialists. Why is Easton located here at “The Forks of the Delaware”? — its all about the rivers!
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