The scenic Lehigh River Gorge was greatly improved in Jim Thorpe Borough in early August, 2002, when more than 100 tons of railroad ties and trash were lifted from the steep bank along the river in a contractor cleanup.
Gary Fronk Excavating and Hickory Run State Park employees tackled the job, pulling the debris from 1.5 miles of park land lying between the river and the railroad bed near the old train station in Jim Thorpe from August 8 to 12.
Fronk collected over 74 tons of railroad ties by hand and with equipment from the steep slopes. The ties were then cut in half and loaded into 8 containers. Elk Environmental Services of Reading hauled the ties to Environmental Recycling Services in Taylor. Hickory Run State Park employees cut and loaded 41.5 tons of ties. These ties were hauled by Waste Reduction and Recycling of Wilkes-Barre to Commonwealth Environmental Systems in Dunmore.
Kramer's Recycling of McAlisterville removed 4.5 tons of scrap metal for recycling. Waste Reduction and Recycling of Wilkes-Barre took 3.5 tons of trash and tires to the Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore for proper disposal and just over one-half ton of metal to DMS Shredding of Wilkes-Barre.
Prior to the cleanup, the Carbon County Conservation District and the Bethlehem District office of the state Department of Environmental Protection provided consultations.
The project began at the river bridge behind the old train station where trash and bulky items had been tossed over the towering rocky banks of the Lehigh River. Fronk consolidated the debris at the river's edge and used a crane to pull the trash up to the railroad bed where it could be sorted for proper disposal. Three old cement tanks were lifted out of the woods adjacent to the railroad bed intact and loaded onto a flatbed trailer. The tanks were relocated on site and crushed and buried as clean fill. Part of the disturbed area warranted stabilization with soil, seed, and mulch.
Because of the heavy lifting involved with this cleanup, no citizen volunteers were used.
DCNR encourages Carbon County residents with disposal and recycling questions to contact Duane A. Dellecker, director of the county solid waste department, at 610-852-5111 or by e-mail.
Lehigh Gorge State Park is located in Luzerne and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania. The park follows the Lehigh River from the outlet of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Francis E. Walter Dam at the northern end, to the town of Jim Thorpe at the southern end of the park. The deep gorge, steep walls and thick vegetation, rock outcroppings and many waterfalls characterize the entire park.
The Lehigh River, one of the most scenic rivers in America, carves through the park in the steep-walled canyon, offering Class II and III rapids to whitewater boaters and rafters. A 25-mile rail-trail following the river also provides hiking and mountain opportunities.
Learn about other illegal dump sites in state forests and parks.
This page last updated August 16, 2002.
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