Effects of the potential release of sediment from No. 6 Watergate pond dam

This paper will present the results of a study of Watergate Dam No. 6, located on Vancampens Brook in the Delaware River Basin within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGNRA). Watergate Dam 6 partially failed in 1996, and the sedimentation and potential for dam decommissioning was studied to prevent any detrimental effects from the release of sediment, which could effect the only native trout fishery located downstream of the dam. The dam was the upstream most dam of a series of four dame, located approximately 0.7 miles southwest of Millbrook Village in Warren County, New Jersey. The sediment and geomorphological characteristics of the stream will also be presented in the paper. Different solutions for controlling the release of sediment from the dam also will be discussed in the paper. These solutions will also be tied to current philosophies and approaches for the decommissioning of dams.