- Sterling Fournier spoke about the dangers of the Dock Street Dam
- It is located along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, PA
- Buoys have been used to warn boaters for 60 years
Content creator Sterling Fournier responded to a recent TikTok video in which he discussed the Dock Street Dam, or what he and another user call “a death sentence.”
Known as Idk Sterling on social media platforms, the TikToker discussed the dangers of the dam in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which killed 30 people.
The original video Fournier was tagged in shows a man pointing at the dam and claiming, “Every motherfucker who ended up in there died.”
Fournier emphatically agreed, stating that what the user said was “100% absolutely correct.”
The dam can be found on the Susquehanna River, along with several buoys used to warn boaters of impending danger.
The Dock Street Dam in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has claimed the lives of thirty people in the Susquehanna River since 1935
Sterling Fournier, aka IdkSterling, discussed the dangers of the dam after being tagged in a previously posted TikTok
He states that the user who tagged him was “100% absolutely right” about the dam and the lives lost
Fournier explained why it is so dangerous, citing reasons common to other dams.
He explained: ‘It has the illusion of being safe. But the way this wall here was built is what makes it so deadly.”
The Dock Street Dam is a low-headed dam, structured to span completely from one side of the river to the other.
The Harrisburg structure includes a backwash, which Fournier said was “a washing machine.”
“If you fall into this water here, you’re going to go around in circles until you inevitably drown,” he continued.
Even The National Weather Servicea government agency, recognizes that low-head dams are known as ‘death machines’, and provides guidance on how to avoid drowning if you find yourself in one.
These dangers and more contribute to Fournier’s belief that the best course of action regarding the dam is to “Stay the hell out of the water.”
The Dock Street Dam is a low-head dam – a structure that extends from one side of the river to the other, and includes a backwash that Fournier says is “a washing machine.”
It is reportedly possible to escape alive from a low-head dam, but it is very difficult
The National Weather Service acknowledged that low-head dams are known as “death machines,” but one can escape if you follow the right steps
A lucky TikTok user reportedly made it out of a low dam alive, but didn’t say if it was the dam in Harrisburg.
That person said, ‘There is a way out, I have been in it myself, push down and forward to get out through the bottom of the barrel. Against instinct, but the only way. Not easy.’
Matt Maisel, communications director for the city of Harrisburg, discussed the significance of the buoys placed in the river last April with Local 21 News after another boater lost his life in the Susquehanna.
“Harrisburg Fire, which goes in every year and sets buoys, will wait until the water is about four feet so it’s a more accessible area so they can go in and do it safely, he said.”
At least 36 buoys were placed in the river in May, but these will only be there during certain parts of the year due to the changing seasons and water levels.
One thing that wasn’t seen in the TikTok video was signs warning people about the dams and threats to those who want to enter the river, and that’s because they are very small.
Melvin Eichelberger told Local 21 News, “I would like to see the city put up bigger signs or fine them $500. Don’t go beyond this point, period.’
“From the city of Harrisburg or the construction safety agency. That’s what they should do. Maybe that’s holding them back.’