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.
This is the fish ladder between the Delaware River and the Lehigh River. It is near Easton around the start of the Delaware canal. The dam that is on the Lehigh blocks the path of migration for fish. This forcing of them to spawn elsewhere reduces the survival rate for eggs and newborn fish. In order to help this problem people build fish ladders to help fish follow their regular migration pack.
The ladder in Easton has a clear window to view the fish climbing the ladder. Unfortunately this specific ladder doesn’t have a good reputation of working very well.
I found it interesting when I found out that some fish can travel upstream in a way of water steps. A few years ago Easton was given 1.4 million dollars in seeking to improve the new fish elevator. Still, fish find it hard to maneuver up the rapids because the fish are traumatized by the warmer water and the faster unfamiliar rapids which affect their reproducing.
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One of the local country clubs, Riverview Country Club, lies alongside the Delaware River. As the name suggests, the course feature various views of the Delaware in addition to various water hazards that derive from the Delaware. While the Delaware River doesn’t serve as a direct hazard for golfers on the course, it contributes to an incredibly pleasant atmosphere.
If you walk around campus at night, you cannot help but to notice these grey spotted spiders around campus. I see them every night around Pardee and Farinon. If you look above the doors, usually near lightining, you’ll see many of these grey spotted spiders. Personally I hate spider so seeing numerous amounts of them makes my skin crawl. I wonder if these spiders are native to Easton, or are they like the spotted lantern flies around campus? This just makes me realize how much nature there is around campus. You just have to take a second to observe how much life there is around us.
As I walked by Bushkill Creek, I noticed that the graffiti that had once existed beside it was covered up. I’ve always been a fan of graffiti, and wish there were more public places where it would be legal and accepted. This wall would be significantly more attractive with the help of artists from Easton. The creek would create a pleasant atmosphere for their work to be displayed. I truly believe that leaving this wall blank and covering up any graffiti on it is a missed opportunity. Perhaps the deer I spotted by the creek was also saddened by this development.
While walking through downtown Easton last week, I took this picture of the Easton Dam. It is where the Lehigh River meets the Delaware. In 2017, some people wanted to remove the dam to make the area of downtown Easton an area for white water rafting, fishing, and other recreational activities. Being from New Jersey, it is interesting to me that a lot of the water we get there comes from the Delaware.
Near the bottom of the stairs from Lafayette to Downtown Easton, there is an overlook on the Bushkill Creek. Hanging from a building across the way there is a curious curtain of 750 painted buoys suspended by steel wire. This display was created by an Environmental Artist, Stacy Levy, and is a temporary project for the Art of Urban Environments Festival.
The curtain moves with the wind, mimicking wind chimes, and also flows with the water when the creek is high. The flow and height are both depicted by the position of the display.
The erosion of the blue paint on the buoys does more than just looking pretty. The line of erosion, as depicted, mirrors the creek bed and gives more insight into the form of the creek that part of our campus is built upon.
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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