The Removal of Lockville Dam and the Future of the Deep River

The Removal of Lockville Dam and the Future of the Deep River
An inexperienced paddler, the author, in front of a mostly intact Lockville dam in December 2021.

The Removal of Lockville Dam and the Future of the Deep River

A Carolina Paddler Article

By Zach Schiada 

“The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.” I’ve heard paddling the Lockville Dam to US-1 section of the Deep River described this way. At least regarding whitewater. We are blessed to have several great whitewater sections of river in the Triangle, leaving this section of the Deep overlooked by most paddlers.

I have a personal connection to this section of the Deep River.  It’s been one of the main sites for progression in my personal paddling journey. My parents moved and told me they could no longer store my unused kayak.  I decided to take up kayaking again and the Deep is where I decided to “test the waters,” pun intended.

On a cool November day in 2021 with little knowledge of paddling and unprepared gear wise, I put in on the Deep River at Old US-1. Making my way up to the Lockville Dam was a mixture of paddling upstream, wading and slipping on rocks. I had to work for my fun. The upstream struggle was followed by a scrapy, but exhilarating thrill of paddling back down the easy class I-II rapids in this brief section of river. I was instantly hooked. As a result, I will continue to pursue this hobby for many years to come.

Since that day in November 2021, I’ve been back to this section many times, eventually working up the courage to run what I call the plunge line of the Lockville Dam and later tackling the bigger drop after the dam was breached. I’ve spent countless hours ferrying and working on my roll in the final rapid just before the US-1 bridge. Now I’ll share why there will soon be reasons for others to get excited about this part of the Deep.

One of my first early morning trips down rapids as an adult. Wavesport Z. All photography by Zach Schiada

I will admit I’ve never been fond of this entire section of the Deep, as described on American Whitewater’s website, titled Section 6, US Route 15/501 Bridge to US Route 1 Bridge.   The whole length of the section includes several miles of flatwater that are pretty, but mostly uninteresting for those who enjoy the thrill of rapids.

 Back when I first thought I might like paddling whitewater, around 2010, I paddled this section from Hwy 15/501 to Old US-1. The only memorable parts were one sketchy drop we did after portaging the dam and the short section of rapids that follow. This was one of the few rivers I tackled in my– then–short-lived hobby. Fast forward a decade plus and in April of 2023, Aaron Vaughan and I decided to do a low water Lower Rocky River trip. Rather than take out at the White Pines Nature Preserve, and endure the 1/2 mile uphill carry-out, we opted to do what an old guidebook recommended.  Combine the lower Rocky River and a Deep River section.  This was the only way to finish a trip on the Lower Rocky prior to the Triangle Land Conservation’s acquisition of the White Pines Nature Preserve land.

We packed ropes for the portage around Lockville Dam, since Benner and McCloud note that this is “perhaps the most difficult portage in the east.”  We approached the dam and  something didn’t seem right. I knew from my many trips on the Deep from the Lockville Dam to US-1,  that a water level over 1.7 ft on the Moncure gage meant that water flowed over the dam, requiring caution to avoid getting pulled over the hazard. However, our level was 2.25 ft and all we could see was a large concrete wall downstream. After an easier than anticipated portage (at Aaron’s suggestion, we went a longer way around the dam and it was easy), we looked at the dam from below. We discovered a 10-15 ft section of the dam wall had given way, and water was quickly funneling through this breach. Later, I contacted American Rivers, who said they were aware of the breach and were optimistic about what it might mean for future conservation.  We stayed tight lipped on what would come next.

The Breach at the Lockville Dam. Aaron looks on. We opted not to run the breach this day.

The Deep

Let’s move beyond my personal story. The Deep River gets its name from the English translation of the Native American word, sapponah, for “deep.”  The river is approximately 125 miles long, with the headwaters of its East Fork located just 4.9 miles from the headwaters of the Haw River. Not far downriver, just southeast of High Point, the East and West Forks are dammed to form Randleman Lake. The lake was constructed in 2004 as a drinking water source as well as recreational resource for the Greensboro area. The Deep continues 93 miles to meet the Haw River at Mermaid Point near Moncure, forming the Cape Fear River. There are seven dams in this span.

Along the trip from Randleman Lake to the formation of the Cape Fear River are several sections of interesting whitewater. The most popular section is at Cedar Falls, a bit north of Asheboro. From here, there are other points of interest such as Johnson’s Ford in Moore County and the rapids above High Falls.  Other smaller rapids are interspersed with the many sections of flat-water ideal for recreational paddling. For anyone wanting to learn more about paddling the Deep River, I would recommend checking out the River Kings videos,  where Pete Beck and crew travel its entirety. These videos give a detailed account of some of the river’s history as well as points of interest for those looking for whitewater paddling.

Johnson’s Ford, approximately 3.4 miles above High Falls Dam.

Dam Removals

Non-profit groups such as American Rivers and Unique Places to Save have been working for years to remove dams along the river. These groups have big plans for the Deep River, including a bold declaration made on the American Rivers website back in May of this year in which they state that they will “reconnect the nearly 100 miles of the main channel of the river”.  They go on to state, “The project started in 2023 and we expect it to be completed by 2030”. These statements seem to indicate a removal of all dams along the river by 2030.

I spoke to American Rivers for clarification. They explained the targets on the current agenda are most of the dams between Ramseur and Moncure, with the currently active projects being Ramseur Dam, High Falls Dam and Lockville. They have their sights set on the whole river, but these are the three actively targeted at the time of this writing. As one can see from the map below, Coleridge Dam sits between Ramseur and High Falls. This dam is being considered for removal but is not currently a focus. It is worth mentioning that the first dam successfully removed was the Carbonton Dam, which came down in 2005.

For context, the above map shows the planned trail segments along the Deep River State Trail along with the 9 dams standing throughout the river from Randleman Lake to Lockville in Moncure, NC. Ramseur (6), High Falls (8) and Lockville (9) are the only dams currently being pursued for removal.
View of the breach from below. Sneak line in view is described below.

Lockville Dam

One of the dam removals planned is Lockville, where I started my personal paddling journey  and the very one Aaron and I discovered  breached last year. The US Fish and Wildlife website has this removal as an Active project and American Rivers has confirmed steps are being taken for this to happen soon. Since the breach, the owner no longer receives financial benefit from power generation.  Rather than invest in repairs and risk another breach, the more reasonable financial decision is to allow the dam to come down. The owner of the dam has teamed up with American Rivers and US Fish and Wildlife to take the next steps for the dam’s removal and the river restoration and revegetation that will follow. We should expect this to take place in the next year or two.

The original dam at this site was constructed of wood in 1855 as a lock and canal for river transport. In 1922, the wood dam was replaced by the current stone and concrete structure. The Moncure Manufacturing Company used it to generate hydroelectric power for Chatham County and surrounding Piedmont communities. The current dam stands 13 ft high and is 600 ft wide with an additional 51.5 ft by 4 ft structure for the intake to the canal that was used for power generation. According to historical records, Carolina Power and Light ceased operations for power generation at this site in 1962. I’ve been told power generation was continued intermittently from the early 2000s to present day. Since the breach occurred, future power generation prospects are grim, leading to the decision to remove the dam.

Lockville Dam power house

In the distant past, the rapids at the Lockville site impeded commercial trade for those traveling up the  Cape Fear River and onto the Deep River. In the 1800s, The Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation Company constructed multiple dams along our state’s fall line in order to allow shipping trade goods from Wilmington up to Cumnock, NC. In modern times, several dams have been removed along the Cape Fear River due to outliving their usefulness and to protect a critically endangered minnow, the Cape Fear Shiner. Additionally, there is a healthy population of river mussels along the Deep River that American Rivers would like to preserve.

Log pile that has been gathering above the Lockville Dam for over a hundred years.
Map of Pullen Falls.

Once the Lockville removal is complete, we can expect the river to begin restoring itself back to a natural state. What this means for paddlers is a mystery since there is little written about the natural riverbed hidden behind the Lockville Dam wall. What we do have comes from the records of the Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation Company. The section was described as a hindrance to travel for commerce. They described this change in elevation as “Pullen’s Falls”, which dropped 34 ft over 1.5 miles. We know there are no other rapids on the Deep following the US-1 Bridge.  From this end point at US1 to the start of the rapids above the dam accounts for the 1.5 mile stretch of river. The rapids above the dam drop approximately 14 ft and the rapids below the dam drop another 7 ft. This leaves another 13 ft of drop lost to the dam. This makes sense considering the Lockville Dam is listed as 13 ft in height.

First ledge after the dam. Sticky above 1.5 ft on the Moncure gage. River left (Top Left) is the plunge line. Middle (Top Right) is the boof line.

Running the Breach Hazard

Since the breach occurred, I can attest to the drop right at the dam not being the entire 13 ft, at least not at the site of the breach. This means there are another few feet of gradient hidden behind the dam’s backwater. While not recommended to be run in its current state, here is what I’ve found from the site of the dam breach, down to the natural riverbed.

A slight ripple is found at the dam wall that goes into a small cove that hugs the river right rock outcropping. As you pass the dam, about 5-6 ft of concrete wall stands above the water line at a gage level of 1.5 ft. This is followed by a ledge hole dropping another 1.5 ft or so. From here, there are three reasonable options to take down to the natural river level. River left is what I call the plunge line, which is a steep slope that shoots you towards one of the angled supports on the dam wall, dropping about 5.5 ft.

The Plunge line, bottom left.

The next option, just river right of this, is what I call the boof line, which slopes down about a foot and a half, followed by a 3.5-4 ft abrupt drop to the natural river below.

The Boof line at Lockville Dam

Lastly, at higher water, there is what I call the sneak line which requires punching the first ledge hole straight on and hugging far right against the rock wall into a gradual slope to the river below, but with an extra two feet or so as part of the drop with a sharp rock in the middle of the slot towards the bottom. I have ran the first two lines but have not felt confident to run the third option since it would require a gage level of over 2 ft, a level with which I am uncomfortable paddling near the breach. In my observations this line would likely cause some boat damage on a sharp rock that sits towards the bottom of the drop.

Sneak line on far river right

I cannot stress enough that the dam should not be run due to the unknown hazards. If one chooses to try a run, it should be with careful inspection and safety in place. I recommend starting at a water gage level of 1.5 ft or less to get a feel before committing to any higher levels all while assessing the wood situation prior to making the hike above the dam.

Wood has periodically been a problem. River left above the dam has historically gathered wood and this debris makes its way to the breach during high water events. The unfortunate fact of the water level for this area is that the rest of the rapids in this short stretch of river below the dam only offer fun and wave play with the gage reading over 2 ft. The first ledge drop at the dam is very sticky at levels above 1.5 ft on the gage, which I know from personal experience having been stuck and needing to side surf to escape; an experience that I do not plan on repeating.

For the safety minded boater, the portage at this site is much easier than it was in the past. When you reach the dam, simply head further from the river after exiting river right and follow a goat trail uphill till you see the quarry retention wall and continue till you reach a small valley. Follow the valley downhill and you can then put in on the river away from the hazard to continue paddling downstream.

State Trail/Future Developments

Hazardous drops and dam removals out of the way, there are other reasons to be excited about the future of the Deep River. The General Assembly approved a State Trail to run the entire length of the Deep River from Randleman Lake to Mermaid Point at the confluence of the Deep and Haw Rivers (Cape Fear River start). The Master Plan, which was published in 2022 includes details about portaging for many dams along the river. At this point it is unclear how the dam removals will affect these trail plans. Currently, there are trails open in the towns of Franklinville and Randleman with plans to expand these on the unused railway that parallels the river.

I recently drove along East Gargus Rd in Moncure to check the put-in for a creek exploration in the area. I saw signs on trees bordering the road that read “State Park land”, which I interpreted to perhaps be a future access to the river trail. According to Chatham County Parks and Recreation, the route of the trail in this segment is not yet determined near Moncure, but this area (known as the Justice Tract) is being developed as a future river access, river left, a bit above the location of the Lockville Dam, with parking for paddlers.

The land I saw posted as belonging to the state will likely include parts of the State Trail. Plans for the new put in for Deep River should be somewhere around this spot on the river, which would be an ideal take out for a mostly flatwater trip from either 15/501 or White Pines Nature Preserve. This also happens to be the area where rapids start above the Lockville Dam to paddle the entire length of gradient once known as Pullen’s Falls from this point to the take out at US-1.

I am excited about the future of the Lockville Dam and other planned dam removals along the length of the Deep River. While the dam’s removal is bittersweet in my personal journey as a paddler, I look forward to spending my quick morning runs on a future Pullen’s Falls rather than a hazardous, questionable low head dam drop at Lockville.

Maybe the inclusion of another access upstream of the dam site will give people the opportunity to experience this section of river without needing to start several miles upstream at 15/501 or do the lengthy hike to the put-in at the White Pines Nature Preserve. The rapids above the Lockville dam site are very novice friendly and below the dam offer a bit more excitement with not a lot of consequence. Only time will tell what the bulk of drop at Pullen’s Falls will be like in its natural state, but this would make for a quick run, like the Lower Haw in length, but maybe more in line with Middle Haw in terms of difficulty. This will open a section of river that is 1.5 miles with little flatwater and a good range of difficulty depending on water level. With plans including a trail along the length of the river, this spot could get the wider attention for several modes of recreation, taking it from a fringe destination for oddball paddling to a place that many will enjoy.

Sources:

“A Paddler’s Guide to Eastern North Carolina” by Bob Benner and Tom McCloud

Deep River A rocky rural beauty with a milltown history by American Rivers: Deep River –

The Story of the Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation Company, 1849-1873  by Wade Hampton Haley Jr., ccha_deepriver1980 (1).pdf

Deep River State Trail Master Plan: Deep River State Trail Master Plan by North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation – Issuu

Unique Places to Save: Ramseur Dam | Deep River State Trail | Unique Places to Save

Library of Congress site on the Lockville dam: Lockville Hydroelectric Plant, Deep River, 3.5 miles upstream from Haw River, Moncure, Chatham County, NC

American Rivers and US FWS Project Outreach Letter

Email communication with Chatham County Open Space Planning

Email communication with Unique Places to Save

Email and phone communications with American Rivers

 

 

 

 

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