On June 5, the House Game and Fisheries Committee reported out House Bill 1003 (Gillespie-R- York) further providing for the enforcement of safety markings for low head or run-of-the-river dams (sponsor summary).

“One accident of this nature is too many, and the prevalence in Pennsylvania of fatalities and water rescues associated with low head dams needs to be addressed,” said Rep. Keith Gillespie, Majority Chair of the Committee. “While some of these accidents are the result of risk-taking and lack of good judgement, we can and should do more to make anyone near these dams better aware of the potential dangers and further penalize entities that are responsible for these structures but choose to act irresponsibly.”

“The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is responsible for ensuring low-head dams are properly marked both upstream and downstream with signage and buoys, but the dams themselves may be owned and/or operated by municipalities or individuals,” added Rep. Gillespie. “Under House Bill 1003, the owners themselves would be cited for failure to mark the dams.”

The only way the Fish and Boat Commission has now to enforce upstream and downstream safety signage and buoy requirements is through a civil process that is long and ineffective.

House Bill 1003 would allow the Commission to directly issue citations to owners who fail to mark their dams.

Forty-nine individuals have lost their lives in dam-related boating accidents since 1989. Most of these accidents take place near low head dams – small, private or municipally-owned structures that span the entire width of a waterway.

There are over 300 of these dams across the Commonwealth, many originally constructed to support a local mill or factory and are now obsolete. Boaters are often caught in the dangerous hydraulic boil behind the structure, which is often referred to as a “drowning machine.”

One of the most recent incidents involved the Dock Street Dam in Harrisburg, when a mother and daughter tragically drowned after their boat ran into the base of the dam and capsized.

The bill will go to the full House Monday for referral to the House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.

Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York) serves as Majority Chair of the House Game and Fisheries Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-705-7167 or send email to: kgillesp@pahousegop.com.  Rep. William Kortz (D-Allegheny) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-780-4783 or send email to: bkortz@pahouse.net.

[Posted: June 5, 2019]

6/10/2019