All rights reserved (About Us). Congress responded quickly, commissioning the Army Corps of Engineers to dust off a 1930s river basin study and determine the viability of constructing dams and reservoirs along the Delaware, with one dam on the main stem of the river at the southern tip of Tocks Island. You're still around," she said to Gary Treible, a childhood friend of Dunn's son Albert. "I just figured I'd live in this valley the rest of my life.". Readers help support these efforts with their subscriptions. Lat 41°00'48", long 75°05'10" referenced to North American Datum of 1983, Hardwick Township, Warren County, NJ, Hydrologic Unit 02040104, on left bank 700 ft streamward from River Road, 1.0 mi downstream from Tocks Island, 3.7 mi northeast of Delaware Water Gap, PA, and 4.0 mi upstream from bridge on Interstate Route 80. Hydrographs are created by the NWS.See NWS Brochure; NWS User Guide; NWS Explanation; NWS Accuracy. "This town won't be here. The air temperature data for this station In August of 1955, Hurricanes Connie and Diane battered the eastern seaboard of the United States. The film includes exquisite images, exploring the scenic beauty of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which now occupies the area the dam was meant to cover. What Am I Looking At?The National Weather Service (NWS) has a variety of flood forecast and warning tools that can provide you with critical advance notice of floods. Warning: Javascript must be enabled to use all the features on this page! In 1975, the Delaware River Basin Commission, composed of the four basin-state governors and one federally-appointed commissioner, voted to shelve the Tocks Island Dam project. In its hurry to flood the valley, the Corps of Engineers occasionally bulldozed the wrong house, according to "Damming the Delaware," a book by Richard C. Albert. “You could be standing knee-deep in water, go 10 to 15 feet further and it’s 8, 9, 10 or 15 foot of water,” he said. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The Tocks Island Dam was a huge multi-purpose reservoir project proposed for the Delaware River six miles upstream from the Delaware Water Gap. Follow her eyes down the chipped white paint to the vines that consume the porch. Data compiled by the NWS. When people here die, their family members don't buy obituaries in local newspapers, Wycalek said, for fear of tipping off looters and arsonists. Meant to control hurricane-related flooding, it was never built. Though it had promised drought abeyance, flood mitigation, power generation, and lake-based recreation, in the end, the project was deemed too costly. The Corps proposed the $370‐million dam, which would create a 37‐mile‐long, 12,000‐acre reservoir in the valley from Tocks Island to Port Jervis, N. Y. In 1962, Congress authorized the building of a dam across the Delaware River at Tocks Island, upstream of the water gap. First determine forecasted or historic stage of interest, then mouse over the stage to view range of possible floodwater inundation.See NWS User Guide. New studies challenged the wisdom of converting a beautiful river into a stagnant body of water. Interviews with former and present residents of the area provide a riveting tale of governmental power being used to bully and intimidate vulnerable individuals. Congress eventually appropriated $400 million to build a dam, behind which would sit a reservoir 36 miles long. Patrick began his film studies at Sussex County Community College and then continued at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. There will be a showing Aug. 16, at 1 p.m. at the Walpack Church, Walpack Center. Explaining his passionate devotion to this film, a non-profit venture, he said that, as he was growing up, "the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was my frontier. Click here for our special offers. © 2020 Advance Local Media LLC. ESRI's zoom levels must be between 14 and 16 to show National Flood Hazard layers. are temporary and will only be displayed for 120 days. Today Walpack is home to eight people spread across 24 square miles. Historic Crests:Displays historic record levels of flooding for that location. Law enforcement is on duty. "But I love this place. instrumentation is calibrated at least once/year, the temporary Having grown up in nearby Sussex County, Patrick felt that the story of the ill-fated project is one that should not be forgotten. Those who had unwillingly sold their homes now saw their land and houses occupied by people from outside the valley. Instead, the proposed dam and its failure created an oasis of streams falling from ancient ridge lines, covered in quiet forest. Campsites in Worthington State Forest in New Jersey flood. I really do.". We need your support. Bring a book. "So for years after we lost it, I couldn't come back here. Longitude: 75.086111° W, SURFACE-WATER RECORDS LOCATION.--Lat 40°35'41", long 75°11'23" referenced to North American Datum of 1983, Pohatcong Township, Warren County, NJ, Hydrologic Unit 02040105, on left bank, upstream side of suspension bridge at Riegelsville, 600 ft upstream from Musconetcong River (flow of which is included in the records for this station since Oct. 1, 1931), and at river mile 174.8. Find our, Summary of all available data for this site, Instantaneous-data availability statement. Forecasts for this gage are issued by the National Weather Service These tools include maps and graphs that can help you know when rivers near you are going to flood, and to what extent. Those who had been forced to sell their homes now saw their properties occupied by a rotating cast of outsiders, who turned the area around Walpack into "a major station in the underground hitchhikers highway linking New York with Canada," according to a series of stories by the Pocono Record in 1972. "Without the park service, this place would be all McDonald's and strip malls, with condos along the river for rich people," said Wycalek, a member of the historical society. Also, to offset some of the cost of the project, the Army Corps rented some of the newly acquired properties for the short term. "They pay me to maintain trails, but sometimes I wonder why," said Matt Williams, 29, one of 80 full-time and 50 seasonal employees stationed at the Delaware Water … Kick open the back door and smell the mold fanning across the kitchen wall. Sometimes referred to as the "peak. "When I grew up it felt like this town belonged to me," said Deb Lantz, 63, a resident of Dingman, Pennsylvania, whose family lived for five generations in Walpack before being forced out in 1974. * We've detected you're using a mobile device. Peer out the windshield of Jen Wycalek's Subaru and take a blurry cellphone picture of a green farmhouse collapsing into the forest. The land already acquired by the federal government was handed over in its entirety to the National Park Service for stewardship, and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, originally intended as a narrrow swath of land around a reservoir, became a 70,000 acre park with 40 miles of protected free-flowing river.