|
|
The five major bodies of water in the Chemung Watershed Area are:
1. Cowanesque
2. Hammond
3. Tioga
4. Lamoka (NY)
5. Waneta (NY)
Low ph (acidic conditions) associated with coal mine drainage in the headwaters of the Tioga River has been a major cause of poor water quality in that river.
One reason for building the Hammond dam, was to provide relatively neutral water to mix with the Tioga reservoir water to increase the ph level of the Tioga River downstream of these waterbodies.
The project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 3 July 1958 Public Law 85-500.
Construction was completed in 1979 at a total cost of more than $200,000,000.
The Tioga Dam controls a 280 square mile drainage basin, and the Hammond Dam controls a 122 square mile drainage basin.
The lakes have already paid for themselves in flood damage prevented.
(This from the Army Corps of Engineers brochure)
The two dams working together provide major flood control on the north branch of the Susquehanna River as far south as Wilkes-Barre, PA.
A unique feature of the project is the connecting channel between the Tioga and Hammond lakes. The channel permits use of the Crooked Creek Valley, which has a surplus storage capacity to store the Tioga River floods.
In addition to the control of downstream flooding, the project provides outdoor recreation opportunities, fish and wildlife enhancement and water quality improvement.
Water storage at Tioga and Hammond began in November, 1979.
Storage at Cowanesque began in December, 1979.
By the mid-60's, the Army Corps of Engineers had begun buying property in the areas that would be drowned by the new lakes, and began removing and relocating old cemeteries from the area.
They also began condemning properties in the area, although in some cases, the owners were permitted to remain in their homes until a later time.
I have counted at least nine cemeteries that were moved, and I am certain that there must have been many more. Eight of the nine that I have found were in Richmond Township, with the remaining one in Tioga township.
Most were small family cemeteries, but several were much larger, containing hundreds of graves. (see Middlebury #3)
Some of the names of old cemeteries in Richmond Twp. are:
Clark Cemetery at Lamb's Creek
Fairview
Holiday
Lamb's Creek
Middlebury #3
Cochran
Moores
Shaw
The one that (may) be in Tioga Twp. is:
Daily (or Adams)
The Corps of Engineers recorded the names on the stone markers, and presented the list to the Wellsboro chapter of the DAR for inclusion in their records, and possible notification of next-of-kin. Just how the next-of-kin were chosen remains a mystery.
The markers were then transported to the receiving cemetery, and placed there.
I received many anecdotal responses to my query, several concerning my immediate area of interest - Lamb's Creek. This is one of them:
A woman living down river in Steuben County, related that her brother was a resident of Lamb's Creek at that time. His property had already been condemned for the dam project, but he was still living there at the time of the 1972 floods. He later worked as a truck driver for one of the construction companies building the Hammond-Tioga dams from 1973 until 1978.
A few of the other things that I learned:
The Tioga River Watershed makes up the greater portion of the county. The Tioga River proper begins in Bradford County and flows westward. Near Blossburg it turns northward and flows that direction until it reached the Chemung River in New York state. The Cowanesque River Starts in Potter County, flowing eastward and joining the Tioga River near Lawrenceville.
The Tioga River Watershed is home to three Army Corps of Engineers dam
complexes. The Cowanesque River is home to the Cowanesque Lake. The Tioga River
is home to the Tioga Dam, and Crooked Creek houses Hammond Lake. Tioga and
Hammond Dams are interconnected by a weir. The Tioga River from the Tioga Dam
southward to Fall Brook are impacted by abandoned mine Drainage. The weir acts
as a dilution mechanism, allowing clean Crooked Creek water to flow into the
Tioga Dam, cleaning the water up and making it able to support life.
Watershed Groups:
Tioga River Watershed Reclamation Projects, Inc.
19 Richmond Dr.
Mansfield, PA 16933
(570)662-3624
Ellen Run Project - subgroup of the TRWRPI
413 Valley Road
Mansfield, PA 16933
Corey Creek Watershed Association
29 East Avenue
Wellsboro, PA 16901
(570)724-1801 ext.118
Cowanesque Valley Watershed Association
29 East Avenue
Wellsboro, PA 16901
(570)724-1801 ext.118
Mill Creek Association
39 E. Wellsboro St., Suite AThe entrance to Tioga-Hammond Lake is located along Route 287 north of Wellsboro and south of the town of Tioga. Cowanesque Lake entrance is located along Route 49 west of Lawrenceville and east of Elkland.
Mansfield, Pa 16933
(570)297-4642
Tioga-Hammond and Cowanesque Projects
US Army Corps of Engineers
RD 1, Box 65
Tioga, PA 16946
(570) 835-5281
Among sixteen flood control dams in Baltimore District:
Tioga Dam- located on Tioga River in Tioga County, PA; controls flood waters on North Branch of the Susquehanna in partnership with the Hammond Dam; total cost of two projects = $200,000,000Statistics
Type: Earth and Rockfill
Length: 1/2 mile
Height: 140 feet
Top Width: 25 feet
Base Width: 855 feet
Drainage area at dam: 280 square miles
Hammond Dam - located on Crooked Creek in Tioga County, PA
Type: Earth and Rockfill
Length: 1 1/4 mile
Height: 122 feet
Top Width: 122 feet
Base Width: 880 feet
Drainage area at dam: 122 square miles
Cowanesque Dam - located on the Cowanesque River in Tioga county, PA; provides flood control for North Branch
Cost: $100,000,000
Type: Earth and rockfill
Length: 3,100 ft.
Height: 151 ft.
Top Width: 25 ft.
Base Width: 1,651 ft.
Drainage area at dam: 298 square miles
http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/projects/foun099/Flooding/dams.html
http://www.tier.net/usc/riverfacts.htm
Published on Tri-Counties 09 APR 2008
