Those approaching the site where a dam built by entrepreneur John McCoy 81 years ago to generate electricity is being removed to restore Spring Creek may smell it before they see it.

Crews from Gleim Environmental Group, of Carlisle, and URS Corp., of Harrisburg, have removed 8 feet from part of the dam and lowered the water, exposing the sediment of decaying leaves, mud and other organic matter that has built up behind the dam for eight decades.

Mark Pennell, a geoscientist overseeing the four- to six-week dam removal project, said the stink is a sign of healthy soil. "It's good, organic, rich, like stepping ankle-deep into a thriving wetland," he said.

The concrete removed from the dam and the sediment are being kept to help build new stream banks and return the creek to a more natural width.

The demolition, being funded by more than half a dozen government and private environmental agencies, is expected to cost $250,000. Total project costs are expected to reach about $400,000 by the time contractors narrow the stream bed, add underwater fish habitats, nurture more natural stream banks and develop public access points.