The Geographer
There was a story about a pond that never froze.
By the time I started riding the trails the pond was gone - at least most of the contents.
The plot had Sonoco Paper of Downingtown using the area as a "waste" dump. Whether any of that's true, I have no idea. Sonoco purchased the properties of Downingtown Paper Co. in 1968. The usage of the land could have been finished by then for all I know.
The pond was man made. An earthen dam was built between two ridges (i.e. "up the hollow") from which a spring made its way down to the East Brandywine. I'd ridden the ridges and across the top of the dam for years never paying much attention that it was actually a dam.
Now the land is owned by the township, the trails are legal and used by many.
Recently a trail was put in that runs down in front of the dam. At night it's quite ominous to look up from the bottom at the huge earthen wall and the sky way above.
Riding in the light, it's a different story. Coming from the bottom of the dam, still flowing to the East Brandywine is this.
In coal country that's called Acid Mine Drainage or Yellow Boy. What's interesting (even if just for me) is the water downstream running into the Brandywine is clear (at least in appearance). What's more interesting is the upper basin which looks like this.
Those are buttercups. Thousands of (poisonous) buttercups.
The pond is gone. All that's left are few old washing machines and dead trees sticking up out of the muck.
There's no real point to it all. Sure I have questions like who in their right mind would ever dam up a watershed and use it as a dump, but there's no point in asking. Those days are gone.
Beyond my own curiosity, there's probably very little point in this posting. Though, I did get a nice hike in with my Dad - even if the dogs drank the orange water and came back filthy.
- b
By the time I started riding the trails the pond was gone - at least most of the contents.
The plot had Sonoco Paper of Downingtown using the area as a "waste" dump. Whether any of that's true, I have no idea. Sonoco purchased the properties of Downingtown Paper Co. in 1968. The usage of the land could have been finished by then for all I know.
The pond was man made. An earthen dam was built between two ridges (i.e. "up the hollow") from which a spring made its way down to the East Brandywine. I'd ridden the ridges and across the top of the dam for years never paying much attention that it was actually a dam.Now the land is owned by the township, the trails are legal and used by many.
Recently a trail was put in that runs down in front of the dam. At night it's quite ominous to look up from the bottom at the huge earthen wall and the sky way above.Riding in the light, it's a different story. Coming from the bottom of the dam, still flowing to the East Brandywine is this.
In coal country that's called Acid Mine Drainage or Yellow Boy. What's interesting (even if just for me) is the water downstream running into the Brandywine is clear (at least in appearance). What's more interesting is the upper basin which looks like this.
Those are buttercups. Thousands of (poisonous) buttercups.
The pond is gone. All that's left are few old washing machines and dead trees sticking up out of the muck.There's no real point to it all. Sure I have questions like who in their right mind would ever dam up a watershed and use it as a dump, but there's no point in asking. Those days are gone.
Beyond my own curiosity, there's probably very little point in this posting. Though, I did get a nice hike in with my Dad - even if the dogs drank the orange water and came back filthy.
- b
posted by JenBob at
8:51 AM
1 Comments:
There is still a pond at the top. not very deep, but at the very top near the road. Peepers were hatching in there
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