Old Mill Site on the Saxtons River Matt Kuhn How has this site changed since the removal of the dam? Location of mill site GPS , Nad 27 Historic PhotographModern Photograph Field Data Velocity (float method) 10 m / 7.2 s = 1.4 m/s Total Area m squared Discharge m squared * 1.4 m/s = m cubed/s Slope m/m Average Depth 1.02 m Wetted Perimeter Manning’s n n = [10.06 m^2 x (0.84 m)^2/3 x (0.01)^1/2] / m^3/s n = 0.06 Sediment Type River worn rocks mostly metamorphic Channel Type mixture of alluvial and bedrock, pool-riffle profile Channel Geometry Located on a river bend. Cut-bank, point-bar system. Outside bank eroded downward due to increased velocity. Point-bar consists mainly of river worn pebbles and cobbles. Channel dimensions were estimated for the river was too high and the water too cold. All measurements are in meters. The cut-bank can be seen on the right and the point-bar can be seen on the left. The two Vertical sections represent the bedrock banks and the bridge supports that remain today. “Covered Bridge Near Mill” This photo Shows a man standing on a muddy road leading to a covered bridge. On the opposite side of the Saxtons river is a mill. A mill dam can be seen to the right, as well as, a mill pond spilling over it. This road used to be the entrance to town and this old wool mill was a large part of the towns daily life. This photograph shows the same view in the present. The woman standing in the photo is standing in approximately the same spot as the man in the historic photo. The bridge, mill and dam are all gone. The water level above were the dam used to be is much lower than before (you can barely make out the river down below) This is a shot looking from the other side of the river used to be. the bridge abutment for the covered bridge can be seen in the center of the photo, built on the bedrock of the river bank. This is part of the foundation of the old mill. I believe that as I took the photograph, I was standing in a water channel and the lower level seen ahead is where a water wheel was located. Soil profiles Any sort of soil profile was hard to find due to the presence of bedrock. I was able to get a decent profile upstream where the mill pond would have been located. The soils in this area were all silts and sands covered by a layer of river channel deposits which is what you would expect to find. Answering the question 1.Changes to human elements The most obvious change is the absence of the bridge, mill and dam. The entrance into town is now in a different location further down the river. All that is left of the bridge is the two supports on either side of the river. The foundation of the mill is mostly intact. The dam Itself is completely gone. I could find no evidence for it ever existing except for the photograph. 2.Changes to the river. The river channel itself is it the same place. It still runs in between the bedrock that the bridge supports were built on. When the mill dam was removed it changed this area drastically. The elevation of the river above the mill dam is now much lower. When the dam was removed the river down-cut through the mill dam deposits, eventually returning to it’s original level and consisting of river worn rocks. 3.Changes to the environment around the site. When the historic photograph was taken this area was a zone of extreme human impact. The along the river were clear-cut causing greater sediment load entering the river. The presence of the mill impacted the biota of the river heavily. Today this is the site of structural ruins In a dense forest, frequented only by pot smoking kids or local drunks.