Annoyed sentiment over river sediment

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August 30, 2009

By DENISE RAYMO The Press Republican Sun Aug 30, 2009, 06:26 PM EDT

FORT COVINGTON — Alice Jock has canoed on the Salmon River for decades — ever since her father ran a small marina just north of Fort Covington.

But she stood along the shoreline recently with many of her neighbors, staring sadly at the trickle of water that remains of the once swift current.

“I still canoe, but I can’t go very far now,” said Jock, who also enjoyed fishing and swimming in the river.

Things have changed for her and the other river-edge residents, who once docked their boats or sat out on a nice evening enjoying the view.

A dam downstream was removed during June and July, sending tons of dirt into the Salmon River.

Heavy rains earlier in the spring eroded some of the shore. And that, coupled with diminished precipitation in August, prevented the sediment from washing away.

It instead settled across the entire 200-yard width of the river, four to six feet deep in most places.

WILDLIFE AFFECTED

The sediment allows 6-foot, 2-inch former Franklin County District Attorney Andy Schrader to walk to the middle of the river and barely get his ankles wet.

“It used to be up to here,” Schrader said, making a slashing motion across his chest.

This section of the Salmon River behind his house on Salmon Street once teemed with bass, walleye and northern pike, as well as a variety of water fowl and other creatures.

“We had Canada geese like crazy,” he said, then gestured to a large cluster of dried sticks on the opposite shore. “We used to have beaver, too. They would eat the apples off that apple tree. But the squirrels got ‘em this year.”

Another change?

“Seeing a great blue heron walking in the middle of the river,” Schrader said. “They usually walk along the shoreline.”

A cluster of neighbors, known now as The Lost River Society, called a news conference to bring attention to the damage the dam removal caused and their hopes for a quick solution if nature hasn’t corrected the problem by spring.

JOINT PROJECT

Multiple agencies were involved in the dam removal besides the Fort Covington Town Council, including American Rivers, the New York Power Authority, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Fish America Foundation and the State Secretary of State’s Office.

The Connecticut firm of Milone and MacBroom Inc. designed the project, and Tatro Construction of Vermont conducted the demolition.

Many residents blame the engineers, who assured residents at pre-removal meetings that the dam posed a public-safety hazard and only 1,000 cubic yards of sediment would be released.

But society members say the actual release was six to 10 times more than predicted and that the dam could have lasted a lot longer.

Schrader said the public was told the dam would collapse and crumble as workers began its removal.

“But the contractor had to jackhammer out every inch of that dam. He lost his shirt on that deal.

“The dam was beautifully made. It was made of railroad tracks then covered with concrete. It wasn’t going anywhere for another 200 years.”

PUBLIC MEETING

Stephanie Lindloff, co-project manager of the Fort Covington dam removal for American Rivers, said her agency said she has not heard directly from the impacted property owners, “but certainly understand their concerns, and we are well aware of the situation.”

American Rivers and the Town Council have scheduled a public-information meeting for 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, in the Town Offices.

She said engineers and DEC representatives will also attend.

“Removing a dam is not an exact science, and we did anticipate sediment release,” Lindloff said. “But this is not silt. It’s sand, and sand moves much more quickly in the river. It will wash out as the river restores itself.”

Society members hope she’s right because the stationary sediment could cause even greater worries if it settles in front of the town’s sewer system intake and release point nearby.

“If it blocks that, there will be a major problem,” Schrader said. “I’ve already missed one boating season, and I don’t want to miss another one.

“They said it will go out in the spring, and I can wait. But I’m not going to live with this for five years.”

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at:

draymo@pressrePublican.com