Swollen Arch

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted March 16, 2010229 views4 comments

Stillwater Dam, one of my favorite photo subjects, was built by the Army Corp of Engineers in the early 1960s to prevent flooding of the Lackawann Valley in NE PA miles downstream, along the Lackawanna River. This is one of the many streams that swells during heavy rains and times of melting snow, as we had for most of last week. The water comes from all of the surrounding mountains and hills, into Lewis Lake, and into this stream that features a bridge arch, then finally down into Stillwater Lake behind the Dam. I apologize for the many trees in the way, but the very steep bank and wet conditions do not allow for me to get a better view. Thanks for looking.

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Hank Pennington on March 18, 2010 at 2:41 PM

Sorry not to get to this sooner, Bill. I'm on the road in the Southwest for two months, with only sporadic web access.

This is a challenging location! I'd love to part some of the limbs, and once the foliage sets in later in the spring, you wouldn't be able to see much at all. By the same token, the way the limbs and smaller branches break it up, it has a feel like some of Eliot Porter's best work (or at least that which I like best). It may be Photoshop Phoolery, but I'd be tempted to bring up the yellows in that water a little more, just to pull it more toward the viewer. I think this image would enrich discussion of the roles and effects of dams and water projects in general, though it would need a good EPJ caption to go with it, I think.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 1532 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Maile on March 18, 2010 at 3:14 PM

Thanks Hank! Yes, it seems to be branches, branches and more branches lately. I've shot this before from a similar location. Frustrating spot as it's a very attractive and old stoned arch. And I've posted, I believe, a few images from the dam area itself. Yesterday for the first time, as the lake behind it was swollen to near +18 feet, I was allowed down to the other side to shoot it in full-release mode right at the point of the water passing thru. What an amazing sight and sound!!! It had to come roaring out of the channel at 50-60 MPH. Incredible view. I'm not sure yet if I am allowed to share those or not. But it is quite the spectacle to be literally 8-10 feet away from the point of efflux.

Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments

Comment posted by Hank Pennington on March 18, 2010 at 8:58 PM

You've created the mental image for me of a BIG fire hose, Bill! If it turns out you can post them, I bet it's quite a sight---- even without the sound!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 1532 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 23, 2010 at 2:17 AM

Very interesting story and image, Bill.
Congrats on the nice EP!
Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments