Dam Interesting

Continued from page 7 the summer at the rate of 650 cubic feet of water per second. Releases are also done to support fisheries downstream with more modest releases at 100 cubic feet per second. In 2005, the Corps completed construction of a new road over the dam, eliminating the need to use the original road that was often impassable during high water. A disc golf course was established in 2012.

Some interesting facts about the Lehigh River and the F. E. Walter Dam: The Lehigh River watershed is 1,360 square miles in size. Between 1821 and 1966, the Lehigh River was owned by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, making it the only privately owned river in the United States. The dam is an “earth-fill embankment with rock shell” construction that is 1,230 ft wide at the base and 30 ft wide at the top. The 3,000 ft long dam measures 234 ft from the base to the top. The reservoir’s catchment area is 289 sq miles and has a total capacity of 36,000,000,000 gallons.

Another one of my favorite places to take visitors (aside from the dam), is Peterson’s Ski and Cycle in

Blakeslee. It’s a great place to get your cycling gear or maybe a tune-up for your bike before riding out to the dam. You can also get discs for your disc golf game, not to mention souvenirs, T-shirts, toys for the kids, firewood, hoodies, blankets and more. Check out our website at www.petersonsskiandcycle. com or stop by and say hello. We hope to ski you soon!

Steven Wasko, D.D.S.

Accepting New Patients

Evening Hours Available

Telephone (570) 722-8545