The D&L Blog

The following article by Linda Jenny originally appeared on the Bucks County Herald‘s website on April 9, 2009:

The Delaware River at its best is a beauty. When the waters overflow the banks and get into riverside homes and roads and wash people’s lives downriver, it is a beast. Those of use who live along this river have seen both and in the last few years, too much of the beast side and too many times. Three times in a short period of time. I can remember driving through Upper Black Eddy and smelling the oil from ruptured oil tanks in the basements of home owners who had the river inside their home. Their properties were part of the river until the waters receded. That was then and this is now. Over the past few years as I drive these roads I’ve seen many homeowners raise their homes, literally, above the threat of another flood.

Now as you drive down 611 or Route 32 you will see more and more homes up on cinder blocks and safely out of harm’s way. And the work that the families have done to these homes is amazing. The homes look wonderful and can now remain that way. The damage to the canal towpath was devastating and in some areas still present. Years ago my family trained our sled dog teams on the towpath and now it is hard to find a stretch where there hasn’t been major destruction of the path. But the good news is that as you drive near the canal you can now see where repairs are done and repair work is actively going on. Some morning take a drive down Route 32 and enjoy the light of the sunrise on the river or some evening when the water is calm and you can see a perfect reflection of the trees across the river. The beauty is back. Don’t miss it.