CRC Addresses Misinformation About Proposed Whitewater River Project

CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Revitalization Corp. Board of Directors and Main Street Manager Sue Diehl are publicly addressing some misinformation that has surrounded the proposed whitewater river project, and are also providing information on the project’s benefits.

Key points include:

• Taxpayer money will not be used for project engineering costs. The CRC Board of Directors has given approval for the CRC to spearhead the pursuit of financial grant opportunities and private donation fundraising efforts for the $255,000 required for the engineering study so that Clearfield Borough will not be responsible for these costs and will still be able to focus on funding other borough initiatives.
• The ongoing maintenance and insurance costs will be the responsibility of the borough, as the costs for the current low-head dam are presently. According to the borough’s insurance provider’s initial search, insurance costs would be the same, if not less than the coverage for the low-head dam. There is no special insurance required outside of the borough’s general liability policy. Maintenance costs are expected to be less than current costs for the existing dam. The borough has been provided with contacts at four existing whitewater recreation parks so officials may discuss maintenance questions. Costs occur when the community experiences a 100-year flood if a large tree hangs up in the area and the collection of silt material or debris along a riverbank or walkway.
• The project has been proposed to proactively find a solution to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Pennsylvania’s initiative to remove all low-head dams. Pennsylvania has been a leader in low-head dam removals for 14 years in a row. Seventy-five percent of its 3,000 dams are mostly low-head dams.
  • Low-head dams are dangerous for boating, paddling, tubing and swimming. They are nicknamed “drowning machines” due to their highly-dangerous, circular currents, which sweep anything trapped in them under a wall of water.
    • Artificially-designed, in-water recreation parks are substantially safer than low-head and safe for boaters, paddlers, tubing, swimming, fishing and onlookers.
    • In the event swift-water training is needed, members of a local paddling group (Friends of Moshannon Creek) have offered to provide and or cover the costs for swift-water rescue training for local firefighters and first responders. Firefighters will find this training much safer than the dangerous techniques required with low-head dam hydraulic recovery situations for the victim and the rescuers. The project can serve as a safe training ground for central PA first responders.
• The Raftsman Dam does not provide flood control or drinking water. It is a means to preserve aesthetic upriver elevations. To combat the outright removal of low-head dams in their entirety, in-river water park systems are the solution to maintaining upriver water levels comparable to what we know today. The engineering study will specifically address any water level concerns to ensure that structures are designed in a way that maintains water levels near current conditions to remain sufficient for year-round water recreation and fishing.
  • When, not if, the existing dam requires replacement or is ordered to be closed for safety or environmental reasons, there will be no viable replacement to keep current river levels. This project is designed to address and mitigate this risk while providing economic benefits to the community beyond federal- and state-mandated ecological benefits. The financial cost to the community will be drastically more than the ask of support of today.
• Low-head dam removal has many ecological benefits including increased fish and aquatic wildlife passage and access to the entire watershed, improved river water quality and increases in populations that survive off the river including bald eagles, waterfowl, mammals and more.
• In-river public parks are purposely designed to eliminate ice jams associated with low-head dams. Ice jams have been known to cause flooding and have damaged areas of Lower Witmer Park in year’s past, reducing the risk of future maintenance costs elsewhere.
• According to the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Outdoor Recreation, similar projects in PA have seen many economic benefits including:
  • Business development, job growth and increased sales for existing and new businesses including restaurants, hotels, bike and kayak rentals and retail shops.
  • Increased property values and increased local tax revenues.
  • Increased tourist spending and downtown storefront foot traffic.

In addition to the river recreation features, Clearly Ahead Development is pursuing millions of dollars in federal and state grants for long-term river revitalization plans including riverbank restoration and expansion of walking and biking trails along the river.

As a Main Street program committed to revitalizing downtown Clearfield, the CRC is in support of this project, and will respect the decision that rests in the hands of Clearfield Borough Council when it votes Thursday, Aug. 15 at 5:30 p.m.

For questions regarding the proposed project, please e-mail the Clearfield Revitalization Corp. at discoverclearfield@gmail.com.