The Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam (formerly known as the Sunbury Fabridam) is the world's longest

inflatable dam Inflatable rubber dams are cylindrical rubber fabrics placed across channels, streams and act as a weir or dam to raise the upstream water level when inflated. The membrane is a multi-layer fabric made of synthetic fibre (usually nylon) and rubberis ...

. The dam is located just below the confluence of the Western and Main Branches of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, in Upper Augusta Township, between the town of

Shamokin Dam Shamokin Dam is a borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,647 at the 2020 census. "Shamokin" , or "Shahëmokink" in the Delaware language, and Schahamokink in another Algonquian language, means "place of e ...

and the city of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. The dam is 2,100 feet (640 m) long. When it is raised in the summer time, it creates the 3,000 acre (12 km²) Lake Augusta, which is used for recreation. The dam and lake are part of

Shikellamy State Park Shikellamy State Park is a Pennsylvania state park located at the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. The park is divided into two sections. The older part, on a bluff on the western bank of th ...

. In 2001, the dam was renamed for Adam T. Bower, Chief Clerk of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1967–68 and Director of Services during the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention of 1967-68, by Act 2001-5 of the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

. There ar
plans underway
to add a fish ladder to the dam. The fish ladder is primarily to allow the

American shad The American shad (''Alosa sapidissima'') is a species of anadromous clupeid fish naturally distributed on the North American coast of the North Atlantic, from Newfoundland to Florida, and as an introduced species on the North Pacific coast. The ...

to access the upper part of the Susquehanna. For the 2007 season the dam was slated to be deflated slowly over the period from August 20 through August 23. This earlier than usual lowering of the dam was to facilitate the replacement and repair of at least 3 of the synthetic bags which comprise the dam.

Shamokin Dam

On this site there was the earlier Shamokin Dam. This dam maintained an adequate water level for ferry traffic across the Susquehanna from Shamokin (now Sunbury) to the west bank. It was destroyed in March, 1904 by the breakup of 22 inches (56 cm) of ice in the spring thaw. This is the dam for which the west bank town of

was named. There is another, existing, low head dam 1.2 miles (1.9 km) down stream, for the Shamokin Dam Power Plant.

References

External links

Lake AugustaShikellamy State Park1893 Topographic Map showing the old Shamokin Dam
!-- hide line break from template -->{{coord, 40.8501, -76.8075, region:US_type:landmark, display=title Dams in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Snyder County, Pennsylvania Dams on the Susquehanna River