Swatara State Park

The Swatara State Park is a resource rich environmental wonder that very few people in south-central Pennsylvania know about.  Not only is the park valuable for its historical beauty, but functionality for the park is practically limitless.  Tributaries of the Swatara Creek are stocked annually by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.  It also conveniently embodies a portion of the Appalachian trail and other hikeable trails.  Who knows, you might even want to try and unearth something Jurassic at  the marine fossil beds within the park.   Whatever your taste, the Swatara State Park will surely have something to meet your needs.      

Swatara State Park, which lies in Swatara, Bethel, and Union Townships in Lebanon County and Pine Grove Township in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, was initially developed as a result of Congressional Project 70.  In Project 70, government officials seized the lands necessary for the park through the power of eminent domain.  As a result, life-long residents were forced from their homes in order to make way for a park that still has not been completed.  The park extends 7.6 miles adjacent to Interstate 81 between Green Point and Pine Grove Interchange at PA 443.   Acreage totals 3,510 with 2,589 acres in Lebanon and 921 acres in Schuylkill Counties respectively.  Upon completion, the reservoir should assimilate the original "Big Dam" that fed the Union Canal.  Average width will be 1200'.   Maximum depth should be around 38.  Fishiable waters will  increase eight fold.   The 27 acre beaver dam will not be impacted.  Project withdrawn February 1999. 

SAFETY FEATURES:

Located 1000' upstream from the Appalachian Trail bridge, the breast will be all concrete with a 450' wide spill way and maintain a 3" overflow.  This means by maintaining 18.5 cubic feet per second, there will be a better down-stream flow during times of drought.  During a 7 day 10 year low flow, the Creek ran 15 cubic feet per second. The breast will be able to withstand 3.3 times the amount of water that was present in Agnes (1972) which was 68,000 cubic feet per second at Harper's.  The dam will withstand 25" of rain over a two day period.  The Swatara is a flash stream--rising and falling quickly.  The multi-level discharge will be along the west bank.  In severe drought conditions the level could drop 2', but in normal years, a consistent level will be maintained.  Any drop should occur after Labor Day and be back to normal by January.   Drawing from 169 square miles of watershed, the dam can fill in as little as one week in the spring high flow or as long as two months during low flow.  The reservoir will provide a potential 10,000,000 gallon per day water supply.  If other downstream obstructions and a review of spawning habitat are addressed, a fish ladder could go on the west bank. Life expectancy is 376 years when 50% of the dam will fill with sediment.     Use is expected to be 300,000 annually after phase 1 day use and 600,000 after phase 2 overnight use.  Click here for a map of the park.

Click here for DCNR's homepage for Swatara State Park.  By clicking a link, you will leave the SCWA website. 

 http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/swat.htm 

Click here for a discussion of the historic Union Canal, parts of which are in the park.   http://www.lebanonhistory.org/text/tunnel.html