Dam at Ryerson lake has damage
RICHHILL TWP. – “Significant changes” to the stability of the dam at the 62-acre lake at Ryerson Station State Park in Greene County has caused state officials to begin immediately drawing down the water level of the lake by 10 feet, basically emptying the reservoir. “The dam is separating in one section and there is the potential for it to burst,” Greene County Commissioner Pam Snyder said.
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in conjunction with the state Department of Environmental inspected the dam and found problems that were significant enough to warrant the impromptu draining of the massive lake.
According to park manager Dennis Miller, the dam has experienced some seepage over the last few years, but sharp changes in the leakage warranted swift action.
“We have significant concerns,” Miller said of the dam, which, as of 4 p.m. Thursday, was already emptying, with the valves wide open. “With any dam you always get some leakage. They are never 100 percent. But there have been some significant changes. We are just taking a precautionary action to avoid something potentially more serious.”
Snyder said that while she has full confidence in the state’s hasty action to the leak, county officials were personally notifying each of the 54 homes that could be affected by a possible break of the possible flooding.
“We are confident that the state is monitoring this and has total control but we just want our citizens to know that we are here,” Snyder said.
The dam was constructed in 1960 on the Dunkard Fork of Wheeling Creek and the state park began operations in 1967.
Miller said during his tenure as park manager the lake has not needed to be drained, but said schematics of draining the reserve indicate the water should recede in about 24 hours.
Once down 10 feet, the lake will be just about empty.
“This obviously ends boating and swimming in the lake is already prohibited,” Miller said.
Miller said once the water is drained, the state will have engineers study the dam and the damage and begin repairs, but also added that no timeline for refilling the reservoir has been established.
“We have been monitoring an increasing amount of leakage from the dam, and in consultation with DEP, felt that a draw down of the water was the best thing to do for safety reasons,” DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis explained on Thursday.
Miller explained that the remainder of 1,162-acre state park will remain open.