Stream of Consciousness (2009)
Recommended Citation
Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM). Stream of Consciousness
Stream of Consciousness (2009)
Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) 0 1 2
0 Stream of Consciousness is a publication of the Alliance for Aquatic Resources Monitoring (ALLARM) at Dickinson College. For more information , please contact
1 Part of the Environmental Education Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, and the Environmental Monitoring Commons
2 Dickinson College
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Stream of Consciousness
a publication of the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring
What’s Going on with Opossum Lake?....................1
Nanomaterials for Water Treatment............................3
The Sturgeon Resurgence..5
Stormwater Best
Management Practices......6
Marcellus Shale:
Environmental Bane and Economic Boon....................8
Legacy Sediment Consider
ations with Dam Removal
Monitoring.........................10
Funding All Wet? Try the Internet!.............................14
The Impacts of the
Traditional American Lawn....................................16
What’s Going on with Opossum Lake?
By Stevie Lewis
Idam on Opossum creek, a tributary to the Conodoguinet Creek
(Pennsylva
n 1962 Opossum Lake was created through a 310 foot earth embankment
DWicokrlidnsSounstCaoilnleagbeil..i.t.y....a..n..d..18 nia Fish and Boat Commission, 2009). This 59 acre man-made lake has been a
local gem for the people of Lower Frankford Township and the greater
CarlClass of 2009 isle community for many years. Stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, black
Reflections.........................19 crappie, muskellunge and trout, anglers seek this lake out for summer and ice
fishing (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 2009). Boy Scout Troops,
A Year in Review................21 and YMCA campers often kayak and canoe on the lake in the summer, and
families often use the area for its hiking trails and winter ice skating
opportuSpring Staff 2009.............23 nities.
However, in 2005, maintenance staff observed a clayish material seeping from
the dam’s weep holes (small holes put in dams for monitoring purposes), an
indication of erosion (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 2009). Many
older dams are at risk of erosion through a process called undermining, where
water begins to seep below the dam and undercut the structure. This problem
can eventually lead to dam failure. About 50 residents and 14 homes would
be at risk if the Opossum Lake dam were to fail (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission, 2009).
In 2005, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) began
removeducate. engage. empower.
“Opossum Lake” Continued on Page 2
“Opossum Lake” Continued
from Page 1
ing the stop logs (a controlled
structure that impound the water)
two at a time over the course of a
month from the top of the spillway.
This process decreased the amount
of pressure on the dam and slowly
lowered the level of the lake to
around seven feet below normal. At
this point, core samples were taken
to evaluate the sediments
below the dam and check
for more signs of erosion.
The core samples confirmed
undermining, and for safety
measures, the PFBC
continued to lower the water
in the lake until it was 14
feet below the normal level
(Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission, 2009).
At this point the PFBC held
a community meeting to talk
about the issues of the dam
and the associated costs.
They informed concerned
community members that
they did not have the funds
to fix the dam. After this
meeting, about 100 people
signed on to start and join the
Friends of Opossum Lake
Conservancy (FOLC). The goal of the
group was to begin fund raising for
the new dam and to bring political
attention to the issue.
It was determined that the most
cost effective solution for
remediating the Opossum Creek Dam
would be to use Articulated
Concrete Blocks to rebuild the
spillway (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission, 2009). The spillway
of a dam helps to ensure the
water pressure does not exceed the
capacity of the dam. The new dam
will be able to withhold pressures
of a rainstorm that releases up to Lake Conservancy continued to
33 inches in 24 hours, three times grow their “Repair the Dam Fund.”
as much as the historic 1972 Hur- Eventually the $3.05 million
needricane Agnes. The new structure ed for the new dam was collected
creates a zigzagged spillway to and the construction planning for
increase the amount of area the wa- the dam is to begin in November
ter has to overtop. The repairs are 2009 (Friends of Opossum Lake
estimated to take around four years Conservancy, 2009).
between design and construction. It
is estimated that the new
construction should make the dam and lake
operational for about 50 years.
Proposed New Spillway
http://www.opossumlakefriends.org/New_proposed_spillway.htm
The Friends of Opossum Lake
Conservancy began fund
ra (...truncated)