Monday, October 1, 2012
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HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that deficiencies at Luzerne County's Mountain Springs Lake have prompted the agency to completely drain the reservoir and proceed with plans to breach the dam.
"Commission engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection routinely inspect the dam, and during a recent inspection we found large cracks in the concrete," said Jack Rokavec, PFBC chief of engineering. "Excessive seepage has also been observed through the embankment. The dam is more than 100 years old and was designed and built prior to current dam safety regulations and engineering standards of practice."
The drawdown is expected to begin in mid-October and may take more than a month to complete. The lake can be drained at a rate of about one foot per day, depending on weather. The actual breaching of the dam is not expected to take place until late 2013 or early 2014.
At this point, the PFBC has no plans to rebuild the dam. Agency waterways conservation officers say the lake receives minimal use, in part because of the difficulty reaching it. The lake is accessible only by a five-mile, unpaved road through State Game Land 57. Also, agency biologists report that the lake is a poor fishery because of the acidic water. Biologists do not plan to conduct a fish salvage prior to the drawdown because of the poor condition of the fishery and because the condition of the access road prohibits them from getting the necessary equipment to the lake.
The lake will remain open to public use until the water level reaches a point where it may be unsafe for anglers. At that point the lake will be closed and signs will be posting alerting anglers of the closing.
The 40-acre lake is located in Luzerne County and borders Ricketts Glen State Park and PA State Game Land 57. It was previously lowered in 1999 by approximately two feet due to structural concerns with the dam.
"Commission engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection routinely inspect the dam, and during a recent inspection we found large cracks in the concrete," said Jack Rokavec, PFBC chief of engineering. "Excessive seepage has also been observed through the embankment. The dam is more than 100 years old and was designed and built prior to current dam safety regulations and engineering standards of practice."
The drawdown is expected to begin in mid-October and may take more than a month to complete. The lake can be drained at a rate of about one foot per day, depending on weather. The actual breaching of the dam is not expected to take place until late 2013 or early 2014.
At this point, the PFBC has no plans to rebuild the dam. Agency waterways conservation officers say the lake receives minimal use, in part because of the difficulty reaching it. The lake is accessible only by a five-mile, unpaved road through State Game Land 57. Also, agency biologists report that the lake is a poor fishery because of the acidic water. Biologists do not plan to conduct a fish salvage prior to the drawdown because of the poor condition of the fishery and because the condition of the access road prohibits them from getting the necessary equipment to the lake.
The lake will remain open to public use until the water level reaches a point where it may be unsafe for anglers. At that point the lake will be closed and signs will be posting alerting anglers of the closing.
The 40-acre lake is located in Luzerne County and borders Ricketts Glen State Park and PA State Game Land 57. It was previously lowered in 1999 by approximately two feet due to structural concerns with the dam.
Contact:
Eric Levis, 717.705.7806 or elevis@pa.gov.
Eric Levis, 717.705.7806 or elevis@pa.gov.
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