HARRISBURG, Pa. (September 24) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that initial remediation efforts at the High Point Lake Dam located in Addison Township, Somerset County have successfully stopped an excess discharge of water. As a result, the emergency action plan that has been in place for downstream residents since September 3 has been deactivated.
Residents living along portions of Glade Run, McClintock Run and the Casselman River who received an early notification message indicating a potential threat from the dam should note that the message has been lifted.
On Saturday, September 22, PFBC employed a diver to survey the area of the dam that had previously experienced a partial failure. It was confirmed that one or more wooden stop logs within the dam’s control tower had ruptured.
So that repairs can be made, a steel bulkhead was placed over the principal spillway intake pipe to prevent water from entering the control tower. A full repair, including the installation of new stop logs, is expected to take several more weeks. Until then, water exiting the dam will now occur exclusively through the reinforced concrete auxiliary spillway.
A drawdown of the lake has ceased, as engineers have determined that repairs to the dam can be completed while water levels remain at normal pool. While the removal of siphons and pumps utilized during the drawdown has already begun, the public is asked to remain at least 200 feet away from any remaining equipment. No other restrictions are currently in place for fishing and boating on High Point Lake.
With the deactivation of the emergency action plan, the dam will no longer remain under 24-hour surveillance. However, PFBC staff will continue to monitor the dam as normal.
Media Contact
Mike Parker, Communications Director
717.705.7806
michparker@pa.gov