Lake Perez, in Penn State's Stone Valley Recreation Area, has been dry for several months
as a dam and spillway rehabilitation project has been underway.
The natural flow of Shaver's Creek will slowly begin to refill the 72-acre, 400 million gallon lake
once the project is completed in mid-November.

A view of the Shaver's Creek dam from the dry floor of Lake Perez.

The new pedestrian bridge over the renovated spillway.

The renovated spillway, with the base of the dam at right.
The water in the spillway is being pumped from the floor of Lake Perez back into Shaver's Creek.

The new spillway, with the dam reinforcement work underway in the background.

The dam reinforcement system consists of a series of articulating concrete blocks (ACBs).
Gannett Fleming was hired by Penn State to design this alternative, economical solution to repair the dam.

The ACB mats are being installed by Leonard S. Fiore, Inc. of Altoona.
Project supervisors expect work on the dam and spillway project to be completed by mid-November.

The 8-by-40 foot concrete mats are being placed over the surface of the existing dam embankment.
They will be covered with topsoil from the lake floor and seeded, helping protect the blocks from deterioration
while creating a natural, aesthetic appearance.

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The ACB system consists of matrixes of open-celled concrete blocks
that are cabled and abutted together to form a contiguous carpet.
This system will help preserve the integrity of the dam in the event of overtopping during a significant flood event.