More wasted tax dollars

[wildtrout2]

I went down to the Flatrock Dam fish ladder today to check it out. What I found was neglect. There was no water at all passing through it because of debris blockage, making it impossible for fish to make their way upstream of the dam. Just another example of wasted tax dollars. Also, this isn't the first time I observed these same exact conditions, so it isn't an isolated instance.

 

[troutbert]

If fish passage is the goal, remove the dam.

Does Flat Rock Dam serve any purpose?

 

[wildtrout2]

If fish passage is the goal, remove the dam.

Does Flat Rock Dam serve any purpose?

None that I'm aware of. Back in the day, I think they used the canal that's on far side of the river, which is a part of the dam, for some purpose. I'm not even sure what that was. I do know that it isn't used anymore.

 

[Fish Sticks]

None that I'm aware of. Back in the day, I think they used the canal that's on far side of the river, which is a part of the dam, for some purpose. I'm not even sure what that was. I do know that it isn't used anymore.

A group of people wanted to restore shad to the brandywine in SE pa and Delaware and were actually successful in removing 11 out of 14 dams but the last 3 that would have restored runs to the head waters that were in the lower middle section of creek got fierce opposition because although they serve no purpose historical societies there a you know what fit at the idea of their removal. Burns me up , yea let’s preserve the skid marks in our countries underpants that blocked anadromous fish passage in mass and serve as a monument to the inflexible moronic nature of man kind that we know better. The fact that we have lost around 3/4rth our migratory fish populations in earth is just small potatoes.

 

[tomgamber]

They used it to be able to barge coal. Probably not a big concern these days. When I looked up the dam's original purpose there was a 2001 article that mentioned an effort to have the dam removed but the the project was 3-4 years out.

 

[Bamboozle]

You might want to direct your concerns to Lower Merion Township who I believe is responsible for the fish ladder & possibly the dam as it is within Flat Rock Park.

However, the dam isn't going anywhere as there are (or were) plans to make it into a mini hydro-electric generation station.

 

[wildtrout2]

You might want to direct your concerns to Lower Merion Township who I believe is responsible for the fish ladder & possibly the dam as it is within Flat Rock Park.

I don't think so, as the sign says Maintained By Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania.

 

[AndyP]

Have you contacted the Fish Commission ? If not I'll reach out to them. I don't want to have them flooded with calls but they should be made aware. And it stinks that it is not maintained. I live nearby and have seen this before.

 

[wildtrout2]

Have you contacted the Fish Commission ? If not I'll reach out to them. I don't want to have them flooded with calls but they should be made aware. And it stinks that it is not maintained. I live nearby and have seen this before.

No. I saw this for the first time a few years ago, and thought it was just a temporary situation as a result of storms. I hadn't been back down there since. Then yesterday I went there and saw the same thing. It's possible that it gets cleared periodically and I'm just not aware. I don't know, time will tell. But, it is the second time seeing this.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

I am sure it gets cleaned periodically, this is sadly a common occurrence at most fish ladders around the state. You should also report to the US Army Corps Philly District.

Lots of sticks, logs and other debris move through our river systems that collect at dams. Fish ladders are especially prone to clogging.

 

[Mike]

The fishway is maintained by the Pa Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mining. They are supposed to clean out the debris and keep it operating on a weekly basis in spring. The DEP individual’s name slips my mind, but I will call the PFBC AFM to alert him to the need to remind DEP.

 

[Fredrick]

Wild trout you should check again this weekend to see if they fixed everything

 

[wildtrout2]

Wild trout you should check again this weekend to see if they fixed everything

I'll get back down there to check again, but I'm not expecting the state to react in just a few days.

 

[AndyP]

Thanks to everyone and thanks to Mike for calling. I can take a look at it this week or weekend too.

 

[wildtrout2]

I went back down to the Flatrock Dam/fish ladder today, and much to my delight I found the debris blockage cleared, with water flowing freely through the ladder. It renews my confidence in the PFBC/EPA.
Thank you Mike, you must know the right people.

 

[wildtrout2]

I guess there's a time limit now on editing, but I wanted to include these pics that I neglected to take yesterday (forgot phone). I only live two mile away, so it wasn't a problem going back.

 

[Mike]

No…thank you for bringing the problem to my attention. The pics from yesterday are how it should look! Hopefully some American shad, walleye, SMB, LMB, catfish, carp, quillback carpsuckers, sunfish, trout (maybe even some wild BT since there are 2-3 wild BT streams near there), eels, white suckers and a smattering of the other 15 or so species that use it are now or will now be on the move. If kept open, it’s no exaggeration to say that thousands of fish should be using it to head upstream in April, May, and June, although the jam-up may have fouled up the sucker migration if it was jammed in the last half of March and the first week or so of April. Hopefully, it was originally opened in mid-March and the jam-up that you discovered was a result of more recent storms.

 

[troutbert]

So, posting something on an internet message board actually led to positive results?

This may be a historical first!

 

[wildtrout2]

It certainly was worth while in this case. That's good enough for me.

 

[Sylvaneous]

A group of people wanted to restore shad to the brandywine in SE pa and Delaware and were actually successful in removing 11 out of 14 dams but the last 3 that would have restored runs to the head waters that were in the lower middle section of creek got fierce opposition because although they serve no purpose historical societies there a you know what fit at the idea of their removal. Burns me up , yea let’s preserve the skid marks in our countries underpants that blocked anadromous fish passage in mass and serve as a monument to the inflexible moronic nature of man kind that we know better. The fact that we have lost around 3/4rth our migratory fish populations in earth is just small potatoes.

They can leave parts of the dam up, like the sides along the banks, usually. But like when I was a kid, we humans are fascinated by damming water. (Much of my early life was building rock dams in the near-by 'crick' WE made some good ones!