Future students of local history will only find revisionism about saving Wehr's Dam...except for this blog. Last year, the Morning Call wrote a whitewash of the story. I label it a whitewash, because the reporter knew the truth. I had given her the true sequence of events, and the supporting documents, yet she reported the version given her by those who plotted against the dam for years. Although the Morning Call supported the plotters' position* all along, I was still surprised by that final compromise of journalistic integrity.
What brings me back to the dam today is a new story on the reconstruction by Lehigh Valley News. com. Their reporter inadvertently rehabilitated one of the plotters... Matt Mobilio is quoted in the new piece saying I appreciate it, and I think it's beautiful... In reality, he fought against honoring the voters' referendum to save the dam, and wondered out loud how they could get out from under the obligation to keep the dam.
Back in the beginning, when the Wildlands Conservancy was planning to demolish the dam,* the Morning Call's Bill White joined their effort and wrote that he took his dog there every day, but wouldn't allow him to swim in that dirty water. He was referring to the silt filled pond behind the dam. Bill never explained why he went there everyday, when he lives next to Allentown's Trexler Park. Bill went there to enjoy the unique beauty of the spot... The only place that you can see water flowing over a dam and under a covered bridge at one vista. Bill is correct that the pond is full of silt.
The Wildlands Conservancy spent over $200 thousand on studies trying to strongarm the township into demolition. That money could have been constructively used to dredge out the silt.
Although I no longer attend public meetings, or even venture out much any more, I hope to attend a township meeting by spring. I will express my gratitude to the new commissioners for honoring the voters' referendum to save the dam, and request that they consider having the silt removed from behind the dam.
* Those interested in the complete story of saving Wehr's Dam can use the search engine on this blog's sidebar. Type in Wehr's Dam, and numerous posts will appear.
photocredit:molovinsky/Wehr's Covered Bridge
One step SWT will take to prevent future sediment issues behind the dam is to open the sluice gate located in the center of the dam. The gate had not been opened for 20+ years until it was recently opened during the repairs. The gate should be opened quarterly from now on in order to prevent major silt buildup.
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