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Neshaminy Creek's dam is demolished to let rivers flow freely

A crew began demolishing the Spring Garden Dam on Pennsylvania’s Neshaminy Creek, where dams have stood since the river powered a mill generations ago. The current concrete barrier was built later for recreation, but no longer serves its intended purpose, state officials said. Officials said removing the low-head dam will improve public safety, recreation and fish passage. American Rivers, a conservation group that maintains a national dam-removal database, said more than twice as many dams were removed in Pennsylvania as in any other state. Across the United States and around the world, communities were deciding whether to maintain, rebuild or remove aging structures built to control water as heavier rainfall, prolonged drought and melting glaciers force new calculations about infrastructure.
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