CLEARFIELD – Changes may be on the way for the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, and some residents couldn’t be more excited.
For many years, the river between Curwensville and Shawville has been slowed by three low-head dams, the one at Pee Wee’s Nest by Irvin Park in Curwensville, the Raftsman’s Dam by JG Food Warehouse in Clearfield and the one by the Shawville Power Plant, currently owned by GenOn.
Now there are some in the area who are looking to replace two of those dams with whitewater recreation parks.
Last year Clearly Ahead Development brought together 30 stakeholders in the region, including business owners, those involved in fishing and boating, municipal officials and so on to meet with engineers of S2O Design and Engineering of Colorado.
S2O is a leading developer of whitewater parks.
A study was conducted on the feasibility of creating the parks, with funding from Appalachian Region Commission and Visit Clearfield County.
Both of the dams in Clearfield and Curwensville are deteriorating, with the one in Curwensville already partially ruptured, and both are dangerous in general with the undertow created by the flow of the water through the dams.
Last night Clearly Ahead held a community meeting to discuss the plans and get feedback.
Rob Swales, chief executive officer of Clearly Ahead, noted that one of most important things is that they want to keep the water levels the same as they are now.
Removal of the dams without a replacement would result in a four- to four-and-a-half foot drop in water levels in the river, creating a whole host of issues, including adverse impacts on fish and other water dependent creatures, water sports, water quality, etc.
He said Pennsylvania and the federal government are pushing development of outdoor recreation areas and with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States approaching in 2026, the federal government is especially interested in public improvement plans.
Swales noted that the impact of these parks would benefit the community with increased tourism, hotel stays, restaurant visits and people exploring what else the area has to offer.
Resident Joe Kendrick stated that he has visited whitewater parks in other states and has seen the incredible economic impact they have had on local communities.
Clearly Ahead is looking to have the former Howe’s Leather site either purchased and developed by a business, or to start the project themselves, but part of that plan includes walking trails around the site connecting to Curwensville, Rails to Trails and the river.
Additionally they would like to develop a six-acre former sludge lagoon into a “whitewater village” offering glamping opportunities.
Swales said he has a list of things that need to be accomplished, and first on the list is getting public support for the proposal, and then moving onto engineering and permitting with costs of about $256,000 for Clearfield and $213,000 for Curwensville.
Additionally, the brick and mortar work at each site could cost as much as $2-5 million.
He said they don’t want the municipalities to feel they have to fund this, and so a 501(c)3 would be created to conduct fundraising for the projects, and if all goes well, the projects could be well underway or even completed by 2026, and on his own, he has identified an additional possible $24 million in funding.
Some residents had concerns, such as costs, safety, the affect on wildlife, etc. Swales was able to answer some of those questions, and representatives of Clearfield Revitalization Corp. and Department of Community and Economic Development answered others.
The impact on wildlife is expected to improve with fish able to move freely along the river and other wildlife reacting to that improvement.
The boroughs would likely not be held liable for injuries due to the state’s current liability laws regarding parks.
Swales said that GenOn has been fully supportive of the plans and one suggestion about the impact is the ability to travel from Curwensville to Lock Haven on the river, something currently impossible because of the dams.
Furthermore, a representative of Friends of Moshannon Creek offered support and to help local first responders to get needed training for whitewater rescue.
For more information on the feasibility study, visit www.ClearlyAhead.com.
Live web cams of other whitewater parks are also available. For the Boise, Idaho park, visit https://www.boisewhitewaterpark.com/waveshaper-cam.
For the Bend, Oregon park, visit https://www.bendbulletin.com/multimedia/webcams/.
For the park in Salida, Colo., visit https://www.colorfulcolorado.com/webcams/surf-wave-salida-whitewater-park-webcam/ and for the park in Reno, Nev., visit https://www.reno.gov/how-do-i/watch-and-learn/reno-webcams/whitewater-park-webcam.