<
https://whyy.org/articles/brandywine-river-dam-removal-wilmington-community-members-environmentalists-debate/>
"Bob Hurka has lived in the gated community of Brandywine Falls in Wilmington,
Del., for three years.
He only has to look through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his living room to
enjoy peaceful views of Brandywine Creek. Hurka enjoys watching birds as they
land on rocks adorning the glistening waterway.
“It feels like you’re in the Nature Channel 24 hours a day,” he said.
But the best feature of the river, Hurka said, is the rustling waterfall,
created by a dam built in the 19th century. On the opposite side of the
3,500-square-foot condominiums, people often picnic by the waterfall after a
trek through Alapocas Run State Park, he said.
“It’s very peaceful. The sound is very pleasing,” Hurka said. “It’s a
tremendous feature of this area, and there are a lot of people who hike up
there to enjoy it.”
But he and other Brandywine Falls residents say they’re worried about the
future of the waterfall. For several years, environmental advocates and
agencies have proposed removing some dams along the Brandywine for a number of
reasons.
Some of the dams are falling apart, posing a public safety hazard if they were
ever to burst during a major flooding event. Dams built before the latter part
of the 20th century may also be prone to raising water levels even higher
during storms, some scientists say.
The structures also prevent migratory fish, such as American shad, from moving
freely along the river to reproduce.
Brandywine River Restoration Trust, an environmental advocacy group, has led
the charge to restore fish passage along the Brandywine. Those efforts could
include installing rock ramps that simulate natural rapids to help fish pass,
or removing dams entirely."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-bike-lanes-dam-debates/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
