Fate of Virgin Run, other area lakes in hands of lawmakers
In February, Governor Edward G. Rendell sent a rebuilding Pennsylvania proposal to the General Assembly that included funds for repairing high-hazard dams in the Commonwealth, among other infrastructure projects in need of immediate attention. What are high-hazard dams?
High-hazard dams are dams that cannot handle 50 percent of the estimated maximum precipitation an area could receive, possibly causing the dams to fail.
Rendell’s proposal includes 24 state-owned dams, 16 of which are owned or managed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
The dams have been classified as unsafe by the Department of Environmental Protection’s dam safety program. Repair work to some of these dams is in the design or construction phase, or is already eligible for funding through the state’s capital budget.
Five dams on the list are in the immediate area.
Virgin Run Dam, a 33-acre impoundment in Perry and Franklin Townships, Fayette County, is on the list, while others include Lake Somerset, Donegal Lake in Westmoreland County and Canonsburg and Dutch Fork lakes in Washington County.
Dutch Fork Lake was in such bad shape that the Fish and Boat Commission breached the dam in 2006 and drained the lake.
Director of the Bureau of Policy, Planning & Communications for the Fish and Boat Commission Timothy D. Schaeffer, Ph.D. said, “These are dams that are not at risk of failing right now, but would be unable to pass the 50 percent maximum figure if we were hit by the mother of all storms.
“The risk of them failing due to their current status is real but not imminent.”
Schaeffer said that it would take $78 million to repair the 16 dams.
Rendell is asking for $37 million in capital funds to be earmarked for dam repair over the next two years. Thirty-three million dollars of that total would go to the Fish and Boat Commission.
An additional $40 million in local or matching funds will be necessary to fully restore all of the Commission’s dams.
When asked if any work has begun at Dutch Fork, Schaeffer said, “No work has been done at Dutch Fork.”
When asked what has to be done to solve the problem, Schaeffer said, “The solution varies from dam to dam.”
No matter what the solution, the cost is high.
To bring Virgin Run up to snuff by the 2010 deadline, the concrete spillway has to be replaced and widened at a cost of $4,221,000.
To get Dutch Fork Lake back in operation, a roller compacted concrete overtopping must be placed over the entire dam at a cost of $6,150,600.
Canonsburg Lake will require improvements to the spillway, anchoring the dam to the bedrock and providing a draw down control at a cost of $2,750.000.
Westmoreland County’s Donegal Lake will require $4,221,000 in funds to make it safe. The main problem is the dam structure, which will be strengthened with a roller compacted concrete overtopping, plus there are a number of drainage problems below the dam that have to be addressed.
An additional $3,183,840 will be needed to make necessary repairs at Lake Somerset.
Solutions there include replacement of the spillway with a labyrinth, plus improving drainage problems below the dam.
Schaeffer said, “All of the necessary dam work is being debated as part of budget negotiations currently under way in Harrisburg. Legislators are asked to make the dams safe or have a plan in place for making them safe.”
If the state doesn’t approve the funds, Schaeffer said the Commission would have to find other sources of funding.
Schaeffer said, “These lakes are major recreational amenities, creating hundreds of thousands of dollars in economic activity. Virgin Run is at the low end of the spectrum, but economic studies show that the lake generates $325,000 in local revenue annually.
“We’re optimistic that legislators with a sense of responsibility in whose districts these facilities are located and their constituents realize how important these assets are.”
If the funds do not come, is there a real danger that more lakes will be breached the way Dutch Fork was?
“Draining dams or lowering levels is not a preferred solution,” Schaeffer said. “The preferred solution is to get them fixed, so we can provide the same recreation as in the past.
“What will eventually be done will be on a case-by-case basis.”
Virgin Run is a Select Trout-Stocked Lake that is heavily fished for trout, which are stocked several times a year with rainbow trout in the preseason, inseason, fall and late winter stocking programs.
Over the years, channel catfish fingerlings have also been stocked at the lake to supplement the warmwater population.
The last biologist’s study of the lake was done in 2004.
At that time it was determined that the lake had a dense bass population, but quality-size bass were lacking.
Bluegills were the most abundant panfish.
At that time excessive aquatic plants continued to be a problem. Over-winter drawdowns were done to control aquatic plants. Over-winter drawdowns at the lake consisted of lowering the water in the lake by 7.5 feet in September and filling it back up in March.
The over-winter drawdowns did not control the aquatic plants to the Fish Commission’s targeted aquatic vegetation coverage of 20 percent of the lake area.
Introduction of grass carp to control the vegetation was discussed, but it is doubtful that any were ever placed in the lake as their release in the state is restricted by the Fish Commission.
As a fishery Virgin Run is still excellent. All that is needed are some extensive repairs to the dam, which we hope will be made in the near future.
Call, write or e-mail your local legislators to let them know how you feel about the Governor Rendell’s proposed additions to the state budget.
Herald-Standard Outdoor Editor Rod Schoener can be reached on line at rschoener@heraldstandard.com