Save Rancocas Creek
Rancocas Creek is facing a grave threat. The State of New Jersey has mandated that any dam requiring structural repairs shall be modified to permit shad and other fish species to migrate upstream to spawn. Mill Dam in Mount Holly, which controls the water level of Rancocas Creek between Smithville and Mount Holly is in need of structural repairs within the next few years.
The Mount Holly Township Council requested the Army Corps of Engineers research, design and help fund a fish ladder for Mill Dam under the Corp’s Ecosystem Restoration initiative. After rejecting an initial design for a fish ladder as too expensive, the Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have submitted a joint proposal to the Mount Holly Township Council to remove Mill Dam.
Removal of Mill Dam will cause the water level in Rancocas Creek to drop to a point where the creek will be only a few feet wide or a few inches deep during dry spells. The current will increase, promoting greater erosion. Pollutants and trash from the Delaware River tidal surge will be deposited upstream. The ecosystem that has developed around the creek over the past 100 years will be destroyed. The creek will be forever lost for canoeing, kayaking and recreational watersports.
The Rancocas Creek Association is working with the Mount Holly Township Council and the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders to develop alternative ways of meeting the fish migration requirements while leaving the Rancocas Creek’s ecosystem intact. We need your help to ensure that the natural beauty and recreational opportunities of the Creek are not lost forever. Log on to http://www.rancocascreek.org to learn more about Rancocas Creek and the Mill Dam removal issue.
You can also support the preservation of the creek by emailing your concerns to the following individuals:
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Kathy Hoffman , Mount Holly Township Manager |
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William S. Haines, Jr., Director of Natural Resources, Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders |
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William K. Wujcik, Director of Economic Development and Safety, Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders |
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John Adler, U.S. Representative, 3rd Congressional District |
Simple things you can do
1) Join the Rancocas Creek email group, where you can see what people who live along the Rancocas Creek are posting; you can post your messages, too. This is a perfect communication tool to keep all aware of what's going on with Mount Holly Township Council and decisions on what to do with Mill Dam. Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DwellersRancocasCreekMtHolly/ You can read all the messages (view all messages) to see what we've been posting since August, 2004, when the group was formed. (this email group is free)
2) Join the Rancocas Creek Association. It's only $15.00 a year and meetings are held monthly from March through October. You can contact the "RCA" by email at rancocas_creek@juno.com or write to Rancocas Creek Association, P.O.Box 345, Mount Holly, NJ 08060. Their website is here.
3) Attend the Mount Holly Township Council meetings held at 8PM at the Municipal Building in Mount Holly (directly across the street from the Mt. Holly Post Office...entrance on the side). Postings of upcoming meetings will be posted on the Rancocas Creek Association's homepage here. By showing up at some or all of these meetings lets the mayor and town council of Mt. Holly know we're very concerned about the outcome of their decision, which may be voted on by January, 2005.
4) You can also attend the Eastampton Planning Board meetings held on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 8:00 PM in the Municipal Bulding in Eastampton, NJ (at the Eastampton Manor House). Go to http://www.eastampton.com for more information.
The Poster (click on thumbnail below for a larger picture to print--will fit on and 7&1/2 X 10 piece of paper)
