A plan to remove five dams in Jim Thorpe borough is receiving pushback from a group of residents.

In March, the borough reached an agreement with the Wildlands Conservancy to pursue stream restoration by taking out the dams located along Silk Mill Run.

Last week, however, borough resident Pete Bott presented borough council with a petition he said had a few hundred signatures requesting the municipality not breach the reservoirs on each side of the borough.

“That would be the dumbest thing you could do,” Bott told council. “They were inspected in the summer of 2020 and found to be in excellent shape. Back in the day when they put the wells in there, they were supposed to dredge the three reservoirs. One breached itself, but the other two are in great condition. They have leaves and stuff in them, but that is normal for a stream.”

Council President Greg Strubinger said the borough had been informed in the past that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection may require the borough to breach the dams at some point, and this was an opportunity to have it done at little to no cost.

The Wildlands Conservancy, according to a memorandum of understanding, would apply for state and local grants, on behalf of Jim Thorpe, to cover the costs for design, permitting and construction to address stream and floodplain restoration needs along Silk Mill Run as it runs through the borough’s property. The borough would assist in providing an in-kind match for restoration.

“My understanding was that they are going to take out the dams, but turn it into a trout stream,” Councilman Mike Yeastedt said.

Silk Mill Run flows 2.6 miles to the Lehigh River. The stream is a cold-water fishery, and, according to the Wildlands Conservancy, the cold water and woodlands protecting the stream would provide ideal conditions for healthy trout populations and the organisms that serve as a food source for cold-water fish.

“The dam height, however, creates a barrier for fish to swim and live upstream,” the MOU between the borough and the Wildlands Conservancy states. “The ponds behind the dam are now filled with sediment and smother any habitat for the macro invertebrate organisms that depend on a cobble and rocky stream bed. Removing the dams would eliminate any obstacles for fish to swim upstream and would re-create ideal conditions for fish to reproduce and young trout to take advantage of the spring-fed wooded stream.”

Bott, however, said he and many others remain against the action and expressed concern over how removing the dams would increase the speed of the water.

“The townspeople aren’t happy,” Bott said. “There is nothing wrong out there. Nobody has ever drowned. They are in great shape. Why take that away?”

Mayor Michael Sofranko suggested a representative from DEP and/or the Wildlands Conservancy go out to the property with Bott and other interested residents and discuss the reason for the proposed action.

“I think there is just a miscommunication here somewhere,” he said.

The ballpark estimate for the dam removal, based on preliminary site visits, is $800,000. The Wildlands Conservancy plans to seek grant funding from sources such as DEP, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.