‘Obsolete’ 225-foot dam at Tyler State Park in Bucks County will be removed
The dam's removal will begin Sept. 8. Officials say the dam impedes fish and can create dangerous conditions.
A curved dam at Tyler State Park in Bucks County well known to anglers and hikers is coming down.
Pennsylvania officials will begin removing the Spring Garden Mill Dam, which is 225 feet wide and 9 feet tall, on Sept. 8.
It will be the second-largest dam ever removed in Pennsylvania. The largest, the Oakland Dam in Susquehanna County, was torn out in 2023.
The Spring Garden Mill Dam, which spans Neshaminy Creek, no longer serves a purpose, impedes fish, and could present a danger because it can create a powerful current at its base, officials say.
The Spring Garden Mill, once powered by the dam, still stands in the park near where Route 332 crosses Neshaminy Creek but now houses a community theater.
The dam’s removal, which has been planned since at least 2023, is expected to take several weeks and is overseen by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).
The Neshaminy Weir Dam near the Boathouse and main parking lot at Tyler State Park will remain.
Mike Parker, a spokesperson for PFBC, said dams are being removed across the state to reduce impediments in rivers and to increase public safety.
“In many cases there was once a function to a dam, whether it was used to impound water, power a mill for stone milling of grain,” Parker said. “But those functions became obsolete.”
Parker said the budget for the dam’s removal is $1.3 million and is being funded by $750,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $550,000 from the DCNR.
Officials say that the park, including the popular Fisherman’s parking lot, will remain open during the removal. But a section of trail along Tyler Park Drive near the dam will be temporarily closed.
PFBC will temporarily remove and relocate red‑bellied turtles, which are classified as a threatened and endangered species, from the work zone.
Parker said the dam’s removal will increase safety.
He said that the low-head dam can create a dangerous condition for paddlers and anglers by creating a “boil” at its base. Boils can cause powerful churning currents sometimes referred to as the “washing machine effect” that traps people under water.
The removal will also aid fish moving through Neshaminy Creek, Parker said.
The creek is popular with anglers, but the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an advisory in 2021 against eating fish from it because of PFAS contamination. As a result, it is no longer stocked.
Further, officials say the dam does not provide any flood control.
Tyler State Park spans 1,711 acres with its main entrance in Newtown, about 33 miles north of Center City. Its steep grade is known for its trails and a covered bridge. It is divided by Neshaminy Creek.
On Memorial Day weekend in May 2025, Alec Campbell, a 38-year-old park resource ranger, was trying to place a buoy in the water when his kayak flipped near the Weir Dam at the park following powerful rains. His body was recovered after several days of search.
