Update: Dam Removal Begins

Before

This is what the dam at Green Lane Farms used to look like:




After

This is what it looks like now:



The dam, built along the Yellow Breeches Creek at the Cumberland/York County line, is being removed.

On Thursday morning, heavy machinery came in to begin dismantling the underwater structure, which served to elevate the creek's water level by about 3 or 4 feet for several hundred yards above it.

(All photos courtesy Adalene Noll)








Too Dangerous

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection believes low head dams, like the one at Green Lane Farms, pose a hazard.

Although signs are posted approaching the dam ahead, the sudden drop-offs of several feet can be difficult to see.  In the past, accidents have been blamed on both blazing sun, and the dark of night.

In June of 2008, an elderly man drowned, when the innertube he was floating in drifted over the ledge of a similar dam along a different stretch of the Yellow Breeches in Cumberland County.

Environmental Concerns

The movement to remove low head dams in creeks and streams is underway across Pennsylvania.

For years, environmentalists have lobbied to remove the man-made structures, and restore the waterways to their natural flow.  While the areas around many dams have become popular fishing holes, biologists believe the dams have hurt the local fish population, but disrupting their spawning habits, and limiting their access upstream.

Recreation

Prior to the dismantling of the dam, people who live in nearby Fairview Township, York County and others who use the creek fought to save the local landmark.  While the Yellow Breeches varies in width and depth as it snakes through Central PA, the dam at Green Lane Farms provided a consistently deep area, which drew swimmers and canoers.

Residents now fear with the dam removed, the creek will be too low to enjoy, stealing the recreational opportunities they've come to know for decades.