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HARRISBURG, Pa. (Oct. 12) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that it has scheduled a fish salvage at Lake Somerset in Somerset County from October 24-26 as a final step before the construction project begins to rebuild the facility’s dam.
The fish salvage will take place from approximately 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Salvaged fish will be relocated to Shawnee Lake in Shawnee State Park, Bedford County; Glade Run Lake in Butler County; Quemahoning Reservoir in Somerset County; and Loyalhanna Lake in Westmoreland County.
Although fish salvages generally save a large number of fish, some will also perish, said Rick Lorson, Area 8 Fisheries Manager.
“We will collect as many fish as we can and move them to the other waters, but it is impossible to capture all of them,” he said. “Fish die during any drawdown and salvage effort. Anglers and the public should expect to see this.”
Following the fish salvage, the lake will be refilled up to a depth of approximately 10 feet to create a large pool for silt retention.
“The partial refill and grass that was planted earlier on the exposed banks will help retain sediment and prevent it from washing downstream in the months before the construction project begins,” said Michele Jacoby, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Engineering. “Once a contractor is selected, the reservoir will be completely drained as a safety precaution during construction.”
The construction project is expected to start in spring 2018 and take two years to complete, with the lake reopened for public use by the fall of 2020. The project involves building a new spillway, raising the elevation of the top of the dam, and making repairs and improvements to the dam and the structures used to control the water level. The overall cost is estimated between $6 million - $8 million.
The 252-acre warmwater lake holds largemouth bass, walleye, channel catfish, crappies, sunfish, perch, muskellunge, tiger muskellunge, northern pike, bowfin, gizzard shad, golden shiner and common carp. Once the project is completed, PFBC biologists will begin reestablishing the fishery, a process which typically takes 3-5 years.
The water level at Somerset Lake was lowered by six feet in January 2012 to reduce pressure on the earthen dam after state dam-safety inspectors documented excessive seepage.
Governor Tom Wolf announced last year that he was releasing $25.7 million in capital budget funding for the repair of five high-hazard, unsafe dams, including Lake Somerset, and the design of two other facilities. High-hazard, unsafe dams have deficiencies of such a nature that if not corrected and the dams were to fail, substantial property damage and a probable loss of human life could occur.
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Media Contact – Eric Levis, Press Secretary717.705.7806 or elevis@pa.gov