After years of studies and delays, Bushong Dam has been removed.
Reading officials confirmed demolition of the nearly 150-year old stone dam on Tulpehocken Creek was recently completed. Work on streambank restoration and seeding is underway, they said.
The city contracted with Bright Fields Inc. of Wilmington, Del., for the $96,130 project paid by the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Removal had long been favored by the state Fish & Boat Commission, which in 2009 said demolition of the dam would help fish from the Schuylkill River swim upstream in the creek.
Dams prevent fish, such as shad and eels, from going upstream to spawning grounds. They also create large pools of warm water that trout don’t like, and silt buildup behind dams can hinder the growth of bug larva, the basic diet for trout.
Removal of the Bushong Dam had long been favored by the state Fish & Boat Commission, which in 2009 said demolition of the dam would help fish from the Schuylkill River swim upstream in the Tulpehocken Creek. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Shad, rock fish, striped bass and blue catfish were once plentiful in the Schuylkill River, according to an 1871 Reading Eagle story, but the last shad caught near the city was in 1818 due to the construction of several dams downstream.
The dam was also considered an impediment to kayakers on the water and did nothing to decrease flooding, officials said in 2021.
The dam was last used to power the Bushong paper mill.
The long-vacant mill lies in ruins nearby.
A consultant researched the property and provided information that the city plans to use to produce a pamphlet detailing the history of the old paper mill and other features in the area, officials said.
The city bought the 9.5-acre mill property for the planned Confluence Point Park in the early 2000s.
City officials were surprised in 2008 when the state Department of Environmental Protection said the dam came with the land and must be refurbished or removed.
Work to remove the dam and restore the creek bank does not include improvements to the planned park, which are on hold.