SPRINGVILLE — Federal, state and Erie County representatives signed a project agreement Monday that includes lowering the Scoby Dam on Cattaraugus Creek in Springville.
The $7 million project is a collaboration between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Erie County, owner of the Scoby Hill Dam Park that is west of the Route 219 bridges.
The current dam, built in 1922, is 38 feet high. The project is expected to take place between June and December 2021, said Geoffrey Hintz, project manager for the Corps of Engineers. The dam is more than 300 feet long, stretching between Cattaraugus and Erie counties.
The project was first discussed in 1996, but funding quickly dried up, Hintz said. An agreement between the Corps of Engineers and DEC first made in 2015 was concluded on Monday with the signing of a ceremonial pact.
Representatives from Rep. Chris Collins and Rep. Tom Reed attended and presented Lt. Col. Adam Czekanski, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo Office with certificates recognizing the cooperation in the project.
“The next phase is a critical one,” said DEC Region 9 Director Abby Snyder. “We’re very excited to be designing and planning it out.”
Snyder said there hasn’t been “any connectivity” with the upper and lower parts of Cattaraugus Creek and its tributaries for nearly 100 years. DEC also has more than 30 miles of fishing access in streams above the dam.
The connection will come from a fish ladder, a series of pools that allow fish to bypass dams, that the Corps of Engineers and DEC are proposing.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not given final approval for the fish ladder over concerns that sea lamprey could circumvent the barrier. Studies continue on the proposed ladder, said Paul McKeon of the DEC Fisheries Office in Allegany, who is involved in the project.
Once completed “this will be a great destination for anglers,” said Snyder. “We’re very excited.”
The creek is used most by steelhead fishermen and kayakers.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said that while it has taken some time to get all the parties together, the fact is the dam has to be replaced.
“This area is one of the most beautiful places we have in Erie County. The upper end of the Cattaraugus is a treasure for the region,” he said.
The county owns the dam, having inherited it from the village of Springville, which drew its power from the powerhouse at the base of the dam until 1997.
Czekanski, of the Corps of Engineers, was all smiles about the project, which he called one of ecosystem restoration.
“This is a big part about what we do in Buffalo,” he said.
The objective is to restore the aquatic habitat in the Great Lakes watershed. In particular, this project seeks to “restore the connection between the upper and lower parts of Cattaraugus Creek,” he said. “There are 572 miles of river and tributaries that have been cut off for almost 100 years.”
Hintz, the Corps of Engineers project director, said the existing dam is the third to be built on the site. The first two were destroyed by heavy rains soon after being built around 1920.
The existing dam was completed in 1924. It is halfway up the 70-mile long creek.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
