Williamsport Dam

Williamsport Dam
Hepburn Street dam as seen from the Williamsport side
Official name	Hepburn Street Dam
Country	United States
Location	Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Status	Operational
Construction began	1984
Opening date	1986
Construction cost	$11.9 million (2016 Dollars)
Owner(s)	Pennsylvania State Government
Operator(s)	Williamsport Water Authority / Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Low head
Impounds	West Branch Susquehanna River
Length	122 feet (37 m)

The Williamsport Dam, officially known as the Hepburn Street Dam, is a low-head dam on the West Branch Susquehanna River in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It broke ground in 1984 and was finished in the spring of 1986. It was built for recreation, such as boating, watersports and fishing. It has been described as a "killer dam" and a "drowning machine".^[1]

Background

The old Hepburn Street Dam (pre-1984) was made of wooden railroad ties with 4-inch caps between the ties. People were able to walk out across the old dam. The new dam, constructed in 1984–1986, was built for recreation. Before the dam was built, the average depth of the West Branch Susquehanna River was 4.6 feet, with its deepest parts being just under 10 feet deep. Some places were impassable by boat, being only a couple of feet or a few inches deep. Since the construction of the new dam, the average depth of the West Branch Susquehanna is 8.3 feet, with some depths of over 20 feet.

Dam in 1911

Fish ladder

The Hepburn Street Dam has a fish ladder located on the South Williamsport side of the dam. In 2014 the fish ladder was rebuilt—it was widened because sticks and debris were becoming stuck in the ladder, and more lanes were added so that more fish would be able to use the ladder. Originally, the dam did not have a fish ladder; it was added in the early to late 1990s as a result of pressure on local officials to add the ladder for American shad.

References

Coordinates: 41°14′01″N 77°00′18″W / 41.23373°N 77.00497°W / 41.23373; -77.00497