Scoby Power Plant and Dam is a historic

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

and

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

located between the towns of

Ashford Ashford may refer to: Places Australia *Ashford, New South Wales *Ashford, South Australia *Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia Ireland *Ashford, County Wicklow *Ashford Castle, County Galway United Kingdom * Ashford, Kent, a town ** ...

and

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

, near Springville,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The complex is located on the eastern bank of

Cattaraugus Creek Cattaraugus Creek is a stream, approximately long, in western New York in the United States.hydroelectric generating facility of the early 20th century in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

. The complex was constructed in 1925, replacing a facility near this site. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying six photographs''
/ref> It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1996.

Scoby Dam Park

The Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry acquired the dam and surrounding property shortly after the Village of Springville ceased using the dam for power generation in 1998. The park is managed as a "conservation park" with minimal improvements and facilities. The park is popular with anglers seeking

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...

during the fall, winter and spring, and also includes space for picnicking and hiking. In 2014, local residents began petitioning for state and local support to install the "Springville Whitewater Park" at the site, which would include dedicated access and space for

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

activities.

Proposed dam lowering

Concerns over the dam's structural integrity and the desire to remove a barrier to stream-running steelhead has led to a proposal to lower the currently- Scoby Dam by about . The $6.6 million (

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

) proposal was put forth by the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

in 2014, and if approved the work could happen within three years of the proposal's passage. In addition to lowering the dam, a

fish ladder A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as movemen ...

would also be installed to allow migratory fish to access an additional of Cattaraugus Creek and its tributaries above the dam. By allowing steelhead access beyond the dam, anglers would be able to seek these fish by utilizing an additional of public stream access. Currently, only of the stream below the dam is publicly accessible for fishing. Appropriate habitats for steelhead spawning exist above the dam, and its removal could allow for steelhead populations to become more self-sustaining. Currently, the steelhead fishery is maintained primarily through annual

stocking Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparen ...

of fish, however up to 25% of the creek's steelhead may be the result of natural reproduction. Critics of the project have raised concerns about impacts on resident brown and rainbow trout populations above the dam, and the possibility of introducing

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

such as the

sea lamprey The sea lamprey (''Petromyzon marinus'') is a parasitic lamprey native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes referred to as the "vampire fish". Description The sea lamprey has an eel-like body without paired fins. Its mouth is jawless, ro ...

into stretches of the creek currently free of such organisms. The USACE proposal includes barriers that are intended to restrict the movement of sea lamprey beyond the dam.

References

External links

Springville Whitewater Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scoby Power Plant And Dam Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Dams in New York (state) Dams completed in 1925 Energy infrastructure completed in 1925 Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places Hydroelectric power plants in New York (state) Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Erie County, New York Parks in Erie County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Erie County, New York