The first Felix Dam was left to deteriorate underwater after construction of the second dam was completed in 1855. Commercial use of the second Felix Dam ended after the Schuylkill Canal was abandoned in 1916 and the last barge locked through in 1932. Recreation also gradually declined because of decay in the system's locks and dams and increasing coal silt from upstream mines. The dam was later repaired in the early 1950s to establish a pool for the Schuylkill River Desilting Project's dredging operations, then patched for 50 years until it was damaged in 1998. Beginning September 13, 1999, Hurricane Floyd moved up the eastern coast of the United States, dumping between 8 and 12 inches of rain, and the already compromised second Felix Dam lost about 80 feet of its structure in the floodwaters, forcing water to the sides and causing bank erosion. In December 1999, state waterway officials said removal had become crucial because the exposed and damaged structure posed a public safety concern. Despite efforts by a local non-profit group and others who relied on the pool, demolition of the first and second dams was approved, and removal work was completed in November 2007.