Thompson Run - 1975 - 2017
Some 70 years ago, Thompson Run was a classic
limestone trout stream. It began at Thompson Spring, located about 200 yards
southwest of the Duck Pond. From the spring, Thompson Run ran down a
sluiceway located where the center line of Benner Pike is now. It then
joined the present streambed, flowed behind what are now Clark Motor Company
and Claster's (now YBC), and meandered through a meadow for a mile or so
before its confluence with Slab Cabin Run, a short distance from Spring
Creek. Throughout its course Thompson Run was and is the recipient of
numerous limestone springs,
Walnut and Bathgate Springs being the most
prominent. The stream not only harbored excellent populations of brook and
brown trout but provided a clean, cool flow of water for Spring Creek.
In the fifties,
when Benner Pike was rebuilt, Thompson Run was diverted into the Duck Pond,
which is used as a settling basin for State College's and the University's
storm water. Thus the pure, cool spring water became intermixed with the
warm stagnant pond water. The flow of Thompson Run became a hot, polluted
stream instead of a cool, clean one. Also, both State College and Penn State
dumped their sewage effluent, originating in the PSU Waste Water Sewage
Treatment Plant, into the stream. The effluent carried high levels of
phosphorus, chlorine and other polluting chemicals.
Joe Humphreys,
who fished this stream as a boy, saw the potential of restoring Thompson Run
to its former condition. He first discussed this project with the Chapter at
the June 1975 meeting. The idea was batted around and became even more
enticing when Penn State announced that it was going to initiate the Living
Filter concept and would no longer pour its sewage effluent into Thompson
Run; rather, it would pipe it several miles away and spray it on University
property and State Game Lands 176. A plan was drawn up to construct a dike
which would carry the Thompson Spring water directly to Thompson Run without
going through the warm, stagnant water of the Duck Pond.
The estimated
cost was $30,000, but there was only $120 in the Chapter treasury. The
president of the Chapter met with representatives from State Council to
enlist support and ask for funding. Neither support nor funds were
forthcoming, so the Chapter went about seeking help from local sources.
With the
necessary approval from the University and DER in hand, Joe Humphreys
employed his charm and tenaciousness to convince the Glenn Hawbaker
Construction Company to build the dike in conjunction with their dredging
operation of the Duck Pond. Whitey Glenny, Hawbaker's foreman, gave
tremendous support, and Hawbaker's donation of manpower, machinery and
materials made the project possible. In addition, HR. Imbt donated the pipe
for the cut through the breast of the dam, Centre Concrete and Sheesley
Supply Co. gave concrete for the sluiceway, Claster's donated reinforcing
wire and lumber, Neidigh's Quarry gave additional fill and the University
donated a backhoe and an operator. John D. Miller (now retired) and Lloyd
Niemann of the University's Physical Plant gave strong support to the
operation. From the Chapter, Paul Blankenhorn, Todd Bowersox, Dave Coe, Will
Hepfer, Dave Holmes, Merrill Katz, George Kelly, Vance McCullough, Ed
Rakowski, Elton Tail and Regan Williams provided labor on a very short
notice. With this type of support from industry, the University and Chapter
members, it wasn't long before Thompson Run once again flowed in its own
course and bypassed the Duck Pond. Thus in the fall of 1977, Spring Creek
was again recharged with the cool clean spring water of Thompson, Walnut and
Bathgate Springs.
But the dike, after its
construction in 1977, was very narrow and not stabilized. Also, muskrats
began working in the dike. Much repair work was required. The Chapter could
not ask any more of Hawbaker and at this time
funds in the Chapter treasury were not sufficient to finance more work. But
more repair work was done in August of 1979, when eight tons of fill
were used, and in succeeding years. Then in 1983 the Chapter received a
matching grant of $1,400 from National TV's Living Brightwaters trust
program. During several weekends in August a backhoe and enough fill were
brought in to properly repair, raise and riprap the dike where needed.
Seeding was also carried out at this time. The repair work was planned and
organized by Dan Shields, then chairman of the stream improvement committee.
The
Thompson Run project, conceived and directed by Joe Humphreys, is without a
doubt the most important stream improvement project completed by the
Chapter. Not only has the trout fishery of Thompson Run been restored but
now upper Spring Creek is recharged with a constant supply of cool spring
water. Thompson Spring itself discharges over 4000 gallons of water per
minute. This restoration project improves all of Spring Creek downstream of
Thompson Run. A report on the project appeared in the winter issue of
Trout, the National TU magazine in
1982.
Dedication of the Plaque at Thompson Run
Subsequently, Moyer Jewelers donated a bronze
plaque in recognition of the completion of the project. Unfortunately,
the plaque was misplaced for more than a decade. Through the efforts
of Bob Donaldson, the plaque was found. Then President Judi Sittler
undertook the project to have the plaque mounted on a large rock by Phillip
Wolfe. In May of 2016, the Plaque and a tree was planted to
commemorate the accomplishment in a ceremony (see
here).
Stewardship of Thompson Run
In early 2016, the Spring Creek Chapter of
Trout Unlimited and the Penn State Office of Physical Plant began planning a
restoration of the Thompson Run dike. Over the years since 1976, the
dike had been damaged by the planting of large trees that had large root
balls and eventually were blown over during bad weather, damaging the dike.
By 2016, nearly half the flow was leaking into the “Duck Pond”. After
much planning, Penn State funded and provided support to repair the dike.
SCCTU provided volunteers to clean out the dike, to plant a buffer in some
areas and begin to repair the dike. Most of the work was competed in
the fall of 2016, but work was stopped on October 1st to protect
the fishery. The final repair will be completed in the spring of 2017.
Pulling out one of the large trees along the
Dike
Safety Briefing
