HONESDALE, PA — “We just did what we thought to be right, while providing proper flood control and protection for people downstream,” Commissioner Wendell Kay said on September 13.

Kay spoke of the commissioners’ decision to seek an injunction preventing the PA Fish and Boat Commission from demolishing a 150-foot section of the historic Hankins Pond dam. A county court hearing on the injunction was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on September 19.

The masonry-laid-stone dam, said to be at least 150 years old, was built to provide water for the former Delaware and Hudson Canal. The canal and its appurtenances are on the National Register of Historic Places. It had been deemed a “high-hazard” dam by the Department of Environmental Protection even though a smaller 2013 breach resulted in the draining of the former Hankins Pond, which it impounded.

Commissioner Joe Adams, who brought the imminent demolition date to board’s notice, downplayed the flooding risk, noting that that morning, while the ground was soaked from days of rain, the breach outlet was running at only about one-third of capacity. Additionally, engineer Joe Hudak walked the dam and did a pro-bono hydrological study along with stream engineer Bill Dugan. “They have collaborated on a reasonable solution. We’re doing everything we can to provide an alternative to tearing it down and we’re anxious for a resolution,” Adams said.

Commissioners Chair Brian Smith said the dam was not a recent cause for the county, recalling resident Paul Ludick’s bringing the Hankins Dam to their attention several years ago. Smith decried the loss in recent years of many of Wayne County’s ponds because of “high-hazard” designations. “A good number of those were historic dams related to the canal. Where are we going in the future if repairing or rebuilding them gets so expensive? What then? If we just sit back and watch our ponds degrade, we’ll wind up with nothing.”

He spoke of economic as well as the historic losses. What dam will go next?, he asked. “If Wallenpaupack were designated, it would create quite a stir. The lake is an economic engine unequaled in the region. If it were lost, devastation would set in,” Smith said.

Historic rivers and lakes drive tourism, Adams added.

Kay said he anticipated that Hankins Dam negotiations will continue. “Sometimes they go right up to the court date.”

The commissioners also made several proclamations last week. Citing drug and alcohol recovery groups, they proclaimed September as “National Recovery Month.” (See our Real Recovery section on page 11.) They declared the week of September 15 as National Senior Living Week and approved a certificate of appreciation to the Wayne County Bar Association for its support of Elder Justice Day.