Somerset commissioners broker meeting over High Point Lake project concerns (2024)

SOMERSET, Pa. – The Somerset County commissioners have arranged a meeting between the state officials who oversee High Point Lake and a group of people who vacation or live near the 300-acre lake, which is set to undergo a $7.5 million dam repair.

The group, which includes Virginia, Pittsburgh-area and local residents who have used the lake for recreation for years or decades, views the project as wasteful spending.

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officials counter that the work is needed to prevent a future catastrophe at the lake, located in southern Somerset County near Mount Davis, the state’s highest point.

In a presentation to the Somerset County commissioners, the Friends of High Point Lake voiced concerns that draining the lake could wipe away years of summer memories there – and perhaps ruin its reputation as a high- quality water body and fishery.

The group has hired an engineer to review the dam and conducted a high-profile campaign to raise awareness.

“I’ve been coming to the lake since the 1960s,” said Tim McCrum, of Virginia. “We built a large vacation home there and hired dozens of Somerset County contractors. We want the lake to be there for our (grandchildren) for their youthful years, and not be a mudflat.”

McCrum was joined by approximately 10 other High Point Lake users, some of whom said they moved to the area because of the lake.

Several cited its lure as a year-round fishery, particularly in the winter months, saying it attracts visitors who support the rural economy. Others cited its habitat for shore birds, and expressed worries that the fish and wildlife there would be lost or driven away by the repairs.

The Fish and Boat Commission manages the state-owned High Point Lake and is conducting the project to eliminate the risk of a potential failure, which would pose a “catastrophic danger” to homes and properties downstream, state officials said.

The commission is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection on a project that would replace the earthen dam’s embankment, its concrete spillway and outlet, which allows water to continue toward the Casselman River, it said in a document provided to The Tribune-Democrat.

The 1965 dam’s design also has been shown to cause concern, and it no longer meets current guidelines, said Mike Parker, the Fish and Boat Commission’s communications director.

That includes elements of the dam that are below the water’s surface, and likely aren’t as noticeable to the public.

Parker said diving teams were used to prepare the review of the dam and support the decision to pursue the project.

Past problems

The High Point Lake dam suffered a partial failure in 2018 when a gate in the intake area failed, causing a heavy, uncontrollable flow of water to pour into a Casselman River tributary. At the time, Fish and Boat Commission officials said “stop logs” ruptured.

The lake was lowered slowly over several weeks so repairs could be made.

Parker said that incident wasn’t the direct reason for the dam replacement plan – but it highlighted design issues that the project aims to rectify. For example, the 1965 design doesn’t allow state officials to adequately lower the lake when minor repairs are needed, he said.

Some components must be replaced. Corrugated metal pipes were used in the construction of the dam, “and they are known to deteriorate and fail” over time, said Paul Urbanik, director of the Fish and Boat Commission’s engineering bureau.

Parker said the state could continue to patch existing problems and handle upgrades in a piecemeal fashion.

“But that would be a lot like replacing two tires on a car to just pass inspection ... when the car really needs four tires and the brakes are getting bad,” he said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “It’s better to just go in and do it all at once, so the public can have a safe, healthy dam for decades to come.”

David Fredley, of Allegheny County, and Somerset County angler Bob Marjoni expressed skepticism during the Somerset County commissioners’ meeting, saying that recent state reviews of the dam don’t indicate that serious issues need to be addressed.

Fredley, who said he worked with foreign countries as a federal consultant, said he was disappointed that a public records request to the Fish and Boat Commission yielded documents with some details redacted, citing concerns that the details could endanger the “safety and security” of the dam.

Possible timetable

The Friends of High Point Lake cited worries that the lake could be drawn down for many years.

Elsewhere in Somerset County, Somerset Lake was closed to fishing and boating for almost five years to eliminate issues with its problem-plagued dam.

Parker said the projects have significant differences.

As currently planned, the drawdown would likely run for two consecutive summers. Construction, which could begin in fall 2025 or spring 2026, would take an estimated 18 months, Parker added.

“While under construction, it is a necessary safety precaution to draw down a reservoir to relieve pressure on the earthen dam embankment and prevent water from flowing over the spillway while it is under construction,” Urbanik said.

He noted that dry conditions, including in areas that would otherwise be underwater, will be needed to do the work.

The lake wouldn’t be drained entirely, but would be treated as a construction zone while the work is underway, meaning it would be off-limits to public use, Parker said. Bass and sport fish would be removed from the lake, and a stocking schedule would be implemented once the work is complete to allow the fishery to thrive again afterward, he added.

Completed projects at Somerset Lake and Lake Donegal, which added fish habitat improvements as part of the completion process, are proof of that, Urbanik said.

Open communication

Somerset County Commissioners Brian Fochtman, Irv Kimmel Jr. and Pamela Tokar-Ickes said the project is outside their control, given that High Point Lake is a state lake.

But they were hopeful a meeting between the sides could help improve the situation.

Fochtman said he understands that the Friends of High Point Lake group has concerns and unanswered questions.

And it’s likely that state officials aren’t “just randomly going around draining lakes” to spend millions of dollars without a reason, he said.

“We want to open up the lines of communication here,” he said.

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