Volunteers and a contractor tackled a mountain of trash in the scenic Lehigh Gorge State Park in Luzerne and Carbon counties in a three-phase cleanup in August, 2002. More than 64 tons of trash, scrap metal, construction and demolition waste, and 68 tires were taken from the park.
Sixteen volunteers started the massive cleanup effort August 2 by filling 226 bags with broken glass and household trash from an area between the Lehigh Gorge Trail and the Lehigh River. The glass and rusty, tangled bedsprings had posed a hazard to hikers and wildlife.
Altogether, the volunteers donated 65 hours of their labor to the project. Three of them represented a core volunteer group from HealthNow New York Inc. of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Hickory House Restaurant of Albrightsville provided lunch for the volunteers at a special price.
Gary Fronk Excavating of Thompsontown was contracted to pull more than 16.5 tons of trash from the steep river banks the week of August 6. His crew picked most of the trash by hand, filling large reinforced bags that were then lifted by a crane into roll-off containers located on the Lehigh Gorge Trail above. The workers connected appliances, railroad ties, and sections of cement pipe to the crane which then lifted them onto the trail's edge.
Kramer's Recycling of McAlisterville removed more than 4.5 tons of recyclable scrap metal from the site. Mahantango Tire Recycling of Liverpool recycled the 51 tires taken from the park, and trash containers were hauled by Waste Reduction and Recycling of Wilkes-Barre to Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore.
Elk Environmental Services of Reading hauled construction and demolition debris to Environmental Recycling Services of Taylor. Prior to the cleanup, the Luzerne County Conservation District and the Northeast Regional Office of the Department of Environmental Protection provided their technical expertise.
The third and final phase involved a cleanup under the railroad bridge at Bridgeport in Carbon County on August 13 and 14. Fronk Excavating moved equipment a mile up river from the Tannery site to remove another 9.97 tons of trash, 7.28 tons of metal and 17 tires from the banks of the Lehigh River.
The Bethlehem District office of the Department of Environmental Protection, Commissioner Tom Gearhard, representing the Carbon County Conservation District and Jim Raffa of Reading Blue Mountain Northern Railroad consulted on this phase of the project.
Where soil was disturbed, it was then stabilized with native seed and mulched. Areas on severely steep slopes were stabilized with a high velocity woven straw mat anchored to the ground with metal stakes.
DCNR encourages Luzerne County residents with disposal and recycling questions to contact Recycling Coordinator Ed Latinski at 570-820-6300 or by e-mail.
Carbon County residents should contact Solid Waste Department Director Duane A. Dellecker 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 September 9, 2002.
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