By Alan Janesch
Public Information
Penn State will soon begin a $2.8 million project to repair and upgrade the spillway at Shaver's Creek Dam, an earthen structure built in 1959. The dam itself is in good shape, but as part of the spillway repair project, the state Department of Environmental Protection has asked the University to enlarge the spillway to bring the dam up to current state standards.
Doing the job properly will require Penn State to "draw down" or drain Lake Perez, the body of water created by the dam. The drawdown, which could begin as early as this week, will be done slowly, over a 29-day period, so that when the drawdown is complete only the natural stream bed of Shaver's Creek will have any water in it above the dam. At that extremely slow rate of drawdown -- one foot a day or a half-inch of water an hour -- there will be no negative impact on downstream property owners, according to officials.
"Penn State is going to handle this project very carefully and with the least possible negative impact on people who live below the lake and the people who have come to appreciate the great recreational activities available on and around the lake," said Dale M. Roth, Penn State's director of recreation services and club sports.
The lake is about 29-feet deep and covers 72 acres. The dam is located in Barree Twp., Huntingdon County. Recreational activities on the lake will be limited for about a year, possibly more.
The 56-foot-long concrete spillway that will be upgraded is on the southeastern end of the 520-foot-long earthen dam. Water above the lake's 29-foot depth goes over the spillway and into the stream bed below the dam. Penn State's regular inspections of the dam include visual inspections and in recent years have included the use of ground-penetrating radar and small television cameras. These inspections have revealed that the joints between the spillway's concrete slabs leaked, resulting in some material being washed out from under the slab. These washed-out areas need to be filled in.
Hoping to avoid draining the lake, Penn State had proposed filling the open spaces by forcing grout into these gaps under high pressure. But the state has asked the University to make more extensive repairs and at the same time build an enlarged spillway that meets current state standards. The Stone Valley Recreation Area is managed by Penn State's Intercollegiate Athletics Office.
"Because it's going to take a long time to do the project properly and to bring the lake back to its full depth, we've been working closely with affected individuals and groups," Roth said. "We've also been working hard to identify other area sites that people can use for boating and fishing and other kinds of recreational activities people associate with Lake Perez." (See shaded box at right.)
The drawdown can't begin until Penn State receives a permit from the state's environmental office. Penn State sent in its permit application on Oct. 27. While the drawdown will affect recreational activities on the lake, it will not affect other activities around the lake, such as hiking, visiting the Shaver's Creek Environmental Center and cabin rentals.
The drawdown will also affect the fish population in the lake -- including thousands of bass, pickerel, sunfish, perch and crappies. Penn State will relocate the fish according to state Fishing and Boating Commission guidelines.
While the Lake Perez drawdown is in progress, those accustomed to using Lake Perez for recreational purposes might want to try the following area sites. For more information, go to http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/.
n Whipple Dam State Park, a 256-acre state park located in the northeastern corner of Huntingdon County, 12 miles south of State College; boating, fishing, some hunting.
n Poe Valley State Park, a 198,000-acre state forest in Centre County that includes the 25-acre Poe Lake; accessible from U.S. Route 322; swimming, picnicking, hiking, fishing, boating, camping.
n Black Moshannon State Park on state Route 504, nine miles east of Philipsburg; boating, fishing, hiking, camping.
n Greenwood Furnace State Park, a 423-acre park in Huntingdon County, includes a 6-acre lake; swimming, picnicking, camping.
n Bald Eagle State Park, just off state Route 150, midway between Milesburg and Lock Haven; swimming, picnicking, boating, fishing, water-skiing, hiking, camping.