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HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 10) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that it will host a public meeting in Mt. Bethel, Northampton County, on April 20 to provide an update on reconstruction of the Minsi Lake dam.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Upper Mt. Bethel Township Municipal Building, 387 Ye Olde Highway, Mount Bethel, PA 18343. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Last summer, Governor Tom Wolf announced that he was releasing $25.7 million in capital budget funding for repairs to five high-hazard, unsafe dams, including Minsi Lake, and the design of two other dams. The Minsi Lake project is estimated at $4 million.
During the public meeting, PFBC engineering and fisheries staff will discuss the timeline and details for draining the lake, conducting a fish salvage and rebuilding the dam.
The drawdown of the 117-acre lake is tentatively set for the week of May 8 and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. A fish salvage is tentatively scheduled for the week of June 5. Fish will be moved to Brady’s Lake.
The construction phase is expected to start later this summer and last through 2018. The lake is expected to be refilled and open again for public use in spring 2019. Stocked trout angling should also return to Minsi Lake in 2019.
Last September, the PFBC lifted all seasons, sizes and creel limits at the lake for warmwater species, encouraging anglers to reduce the number of fish in advance of the drawdown and fish salvage.
The lifting of the regulations does not apply to trout. The lake was stocked with trout on March 22 for the opening day of the 2017 season. Therefore, anglers must follow inland regulations when fishing for trout.
The lake holds largemouth bass, yellow perch, sunfish (black crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed) and stocked trout.
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Media Contact: Eric Levis, Press Secretary
717.705.7806 or elevis@pa.gov