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 A small team from Susquehanna University and the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association captured and relocated more than 50 fish from the top resting pool of the fish passageway alongside the Adam T. Bower Memorial Fabridam near Shamokin Dam to the nearby river on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
The project is part of an ongoing effort between the two groups to help rescue fish species trapped in the pools when water levels drop within the passageway while also researching species that use the channel. “This is the first time we have been able to access and remove fish in the spring and we were anxious to see what species were here now versus when we do this in the fall after a full summer’s worth of flow through the passageway,” said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. “We have relocated more than 1,000 fish now in this location and unfortunately the conditions weren’t great when we were there on Tuesday.”
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 In this photo by Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association Board President Michael Kinney, the Lake Chillisquaque spillway is shown to the left of the dam. The update project will close the section of Chilisuagi Trail (and the Planet Walk) between the dam and the boat launch parking lot for most of the duration of the project, which is expected to last approximately 12-18 months. In an effort to prioritize safety and minimize impacts to visitors to the Montour Preserve, neighbors and local communities and the wildlife that calls the region home, Talen Energy has been carefully planning and making modifications to its impending Spillway Upgrade Project near Lake Chillisquaque’s manmade dam, according to Talen Energy Director of Corporate Communications Taryne Williams.
This includes lowering the lake’s water level, using controlled, low-leveled blasts to loosen and remove rock (in place of more intensive blasting) and timing excavation and construction phases to avoid peak migration and nesting timelines, she said. “In addition to protecting the safety of visitors to the Montour Preserve and neighbors in the community, the project contractors will focus on minimizing impacts on wildlife and their habitats,” she said of the project, which will begin excavation in May. “This includes the eagles that nest at the Montour Preserve and the birds that are there during their migratory journey.” |
AuthorsRiverkeeper John Zaktansky is an award-winning journalist and avid promoter of the outdoors who loves camping, kayaking, fishing and hunting with the family. Archives
May 2026
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