Stone Valley Lake Fix Estimated At $3 Million; Penn State Expects Reopening In 2014

Lake Perez, Penn State’s 72-acre recreational lake in Stone Valley, probably won’t reopen until 2014, university spokesman Paul Ruskin said this week.

About two years ago, Penn State drained the popular lake — in Barree Township, Huntingdon County — after the discovery of an apparent leak in its dam. Water was bubbling up from underground just downstream from the 50-year-old dam, exposing ‘some kind of subsurface water flow,’ Ruskin said.

But fully identifying the problem, acquiring the necessary state permits and completing the fix will be ‘an extensive, large project,’ he said. Ruskin said the estimated price for the whole endeavor is $3 million, ‘which is one of the reasons it’s going to take till 2014.’

‘These are tough economic times,’ he said. ‘We plan for just about everything. But something like this is a little out of the ordinary.’

Ruskin said people at the university are ‘in the process of finding funding’ to pay for the effort. The state Department of Environmental Protection has told Penn State that the lake cannot be refilled until the leak is fixed, according to the university.

A DEP spokesman in Harrisburg did not immediately respond to an inquiry this week from StateCollege.com.

This summer, according to repair plans, Penn State workers have focused on seepage analysis and grouting for the lake’s dam area.

Ultimately, completed repairs are expected to include a ‘grout curtain’ and an ‘impermeable membrane’ to seal the dam, and a ‘cutoff trench’ to guide the flow of water downstream, according to the plans.

About seven or eight years ago, Ruskin estimated, the university rebuilt the spillway that carries water out of Lake Perez. He called that ‘a major investment’ and said the university recognizes ‘the importance of the dam to recreation in our area.’ It’s a popular spot for fishing, boating and other sports, including the Penn State crew team’s practice sessions.

That group is using Bald Eagle State Park as a practice venue while Lake Perez is drawn down.

‘We haven’t forgotten Lake Perez. Penn State certainly plans on reopening the lake,’ Ruskin stressed. He said ‘a decision had to be made to keep the dam’ there, and ‘it had to be looked at carefully as to what the right thing to do was.’

Once it’s allowed to hold water, the lake could take one to three months to reach normal water levels; it depends on the weather, Ruskin said. The refilling process is expected to take place during a springtime season, and the state Fish and Boat Commission is expected to restock the lake with marine life.

Meanwhile, other, non-lake-centric activities at the university-owned Stone Valley Recreation Area are in full swing, including at the adjacent Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. ‘You certainly can do hiking and nature studies,’ Ruskin said.

Specifics are available through the university’s Stone Valley website.