Dock Street Dam facts for kids

The Dock Street Dam is a low-head dam that crosses the Susquehanna River between the Shipoke neighborhood of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the east shore and Lemoyne on the west shore. It gives the Susquehanna recreational depth south of the Taylor Bridge. Turbulence downstream of the dam contrasts sharply with the usually placid, lake-like river above the dam. In spite of the dam the Susquehanna is often just a few feet deep at Harrisburg, and it is possible (although not necessarily advisable) to walk from one shore to the other—a distance of nearly a mile—while keeping one's head well above water. Proposals have been made to raise the height of the dam in order to enhance the river’s navigability and recreational potential, although the suggestion remains controversial. The present structure has been criticized as creating currents downstream that can draw small boats upstream into the dam, an effect that has been cited in at least seventeen drownings. Solutions have been proposed, including the piling of stone or concrete debris south of the dam to disrupt the current, but have not been implemented.