Doe Hollow Parking and Boat Access

The Northampton County Parks Department has big plans for their Doe Hollow property in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County. County plans are to construct a 150-foot by 150-foot parking lot for motorized vehicles and a ramp into the river for motorboat access. This proposed work is in the floodplain of the Delaware River and lies at the mouth of Mill Creek. It is a poor location for these plans.
Click here to access a letter that you can sign and send back to Tracy Carluccio.

Proposed work as stated on a FEMA application filed by Northampton County would require the use of heavy construction equipment in the stream and along the shoreline of the river. The project would include removing a large amount of natural rock, silt, and gravel overburden that has been deposited here. The cleared area would then be covered with aggregate material that is transported to the site. The proposed project plans to fill in approximately 200 feet of the present meandering course of Mill Creek and then straighten it, crossing the floodplain in an artificial channelized fashion to force a confluence with the river at a right angle. The shoreline where the county wants to divert the stream consists of a hard shale strata that is not consistent with a natural streambed.

The proposed relocation of the stream will be futile due to the drainage processes that occur here. A parking surface would be washed away by high water and/or covered up by sediment. The banks along Mill Creek above Doe Hollow have been grossly destabilized and will continue to impact this site because of the active erosion conditions. The low shoreline at Doe Hollow is on the outside bend of the river and is often impacted and changed by seasonal runoff, ice, trees, and other debris. Vehicle access in the floodplain would not only be an intrusion to the character of the river and harmful to the environment, it is a waste of money and a fiscal burden to maintain. The disquieting lack of enforcement capabilities by the township or by the parks department presents additional problems that are very relevant here.

This project is ill conceived and it is unnecessary. Other convenient alternatives exist for launching of powerboats along this stretch of the Delaware River and other locations in this region. A boat ramp is in place only a mile downstream, and the Delaware River Water Trail plan does not support motorized access at Doe Hollow.

This is a beautiful natural area along the Lower Delaware River Wild & Scenic corridor. Bald Eagles and other wildlife are sited here and the quiet setting is perfect for anglers and bird watchers to enjoy via the walk-in access that currently exists here. We, as people who respect and enjoy natural river settings, do not want Doe Hollow ruined! We urge you to work with conservation minded citizens and organizations to protect and restore Doe Hollow as a natural area with walk-in access only.

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