Pre-engineering explorations are
scheduled to begin May 10 at Opossum Lake, a popular 59-acre fishing and boating impoundment near Carlisle,
Cumberland County, which has been partially drained since the discovery of problems with the dam’s spillway
in 2005.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Lower Frankford Township and the Friends
of Opossum Lake Conservancy (FOLC) are jointly funding the $31,000 study that will help determine the best course
of action for rehabilitating or replacing the earthen embankment. A series of piezometers, devices that
measure water pressure, will be installed in holes drilled into the dam breast. Over the spring and summer months,
the water level in the lake will be raised incrementally with readings taken at regular intervals. After sufficient
data has been gathered to help isolate the source(s) of water infiltrating the dam breast and the water’s pathway
through the dam, the lake will be slowly lowered to its current pool size sometime in late summer or early fall.
The
data collected will be used by engineers to come up with a final design and cost estimate for repairs.
The current preliminary estimate for rebuilding the 46-year-old lake is approximately $3 million – part
of an $83 million statewide backlog of major impoundment upgrades needed on state-owned dams the Commission
manages. Opossum
Lake is emblematic of many of those aging dams: built to the standard of the day, they are reaching the end of their
useful lifespan and need to be reconstructed to modern safety standards. Along with Opossum Lake, the Commission has
partially or totally dewatered five other impoundments across the state: Ingham Spring Dam, Bucks County; Upper Hereford
Manor Lake, Beaver County; Dutch Fork Lake, Washington County; Colyer Lake, Centre County; and Leaser Lake, Lehigh
County.
Leaser Lake will be restored though a collaborative funding package, including $750,000 from the Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources, $2.25 million from the Growing Greener II initiative - including
$1.75 million in funds earmarked for use by the Fish and Boat Commission - and $1.8 million through
the state’s capital budget.
The Commission is hopeful the Leaser Lake funding approach can serve as a model for
addressing Opossum Lake. The PFBC has committed $775,000 to address Opossum Lake, while Cumberland County
and Lower Frankford Township have pledged $500,000 and $100,000 respectively to the project.
FOLC, Lower
Frankford Township and other project partners have been working to raise funds for the dam restoration
project and to make meaningful improvements at the site. A land partnership grant from Cumberland County for $8,075
was secured and matched by in-kind labor and donated materials to allow FOLC to develop a permanent, 4-mile angler
access/walking trail around the lake, which includes four foot bridges, six picnic tables, six benches, and three
informational kiosks. There is a pending application by Lower Frankford Township for funding to erect a picnic pavilion
and ADA-approved toilets for angler, boaters and other facility users. FOLC will donate $10,000 in materials and in-kind
labor as the local match for this grant if it is received. |
