Bushkill Creek Dam Removals

Princeton Hydro has partnered with Wildlands Conservancy for over a decade on multiple dam removals in the Lehigh River Valley. Our firm designed and permitted the removal of eight consecutive barriers on Jordan Creek, including three consecutive low-head dams. We also designed and permitted two low-head dams on Little Lehigh Creek. Collectively, these dam removal projects reconnected miles of river, enhanced aquatic habitat, and improved adjacent parkland and recreational fishing in the economically-stressed, urban communities of Allentown, PA.

Building upon the successes of the barrier removals on Jordan and Little Lehigh Creeks, Princeton Hydro partnered with the Wildlands Conservancy again in 2018 to remove a combination of four privately and publicly owned dams on Bushkill Creek in Easton, PA. The dam removal projects served as a model for landowners and municipalities regarding the need for future dam removals throughout the Delaware and Lehigh Valley Watersheds.

Having been restored to its natural, free-flowing state in Fall 2024, the barrier removals were part a larger, watershed-wide effort to improve aquatic connectivity, fisheries, and benthic macro-invertebrate and wildlife habitats. The projects restored fish passage, reduced nonpoint source pollution, improved water quality, and restored capacity for groundwater recharge, as well as stabilized and restored the stream’s channels and banks.

As part of the barrier removal projects, Princeton Hydro:

• Conducted site investigations and produced a technical summary memorandum
• Oversaw structural, topographic, and bathymetric field surveys and base mapping
• Performed sediment analysis to predict changes in bathymetry and river hydraulics
• Performed H&H analysis
• Evaluated issues unique to each barrier
• Coordinated with regulatory agencies and entities
• Participated in community informational meetings
• Developed preliminary design plans
• Drafted engineering plan documents for the selected restoration methods
• Compiled materials to complete permit applications
• Developed construction cost estimates for implementing the removal of the dams and streambank stabilization
• Performed construction oversight during implementation