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Whipple Dam Closed Until July

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PETERSBURG — With spring and summer right around the corner, many people are dreaming about fishing and swimming at some of their favorite area lakes. But one local spring and summer hot spot, Whipple Dam State Park, is currently closed as dredging is being completed. That work won’t be completed until mid-July.

The lake has been drained since late fall, and the long-awaited dredging project is designed to improve the quality of the lake for both wildlife and recreational uses.

Work began on Feb. 18 as contractors moved in heavy equipment to clear trees and pre-existing sediment basins constructed in the park in the mid-1980s. Then, crews will remove approximately 42,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment from the lake bed.

“It had gotten to be that some parts of the lake resembled more of a wetland than a lake,” said park manager Michael Dinsmore.

In some parts of the lake, the built-up sediment made travel by boat almost impossible, said Dinsmore.

The project had been discussed as far back as 1986, he said, and is something that needs to be completed “from time to time” to keep the lake healthy.

While the lake is drawn down, some other upgrades will be made to the park, including the installation of a wheelchair-accessible ramp into the swimming area, construction of a new wheelchair-accessible fishing pier and paving repairs to roadways. Dam structure improvements will also be completed.

Dinsmore said they had hoped to have the projected started in the fall and finished before the start of summer, but because of the later start, the first day of fishing season will be affected by the closure.

The summer concert series put on by the Friends of Greenwood Furnace, Whipple Dam and Penn Roosevelt will be moved to Greenwood Furnace State Park for the season, said Dinsmore.

Dinsmore said the work will be an inconvenience for people, but it is “an important project.”

The contract for the work runs until July 10, and he hopes the work will be completed by then, and the park can open up, but a lot of it depends on the weather. A wet spring could cause some complications, he said.

The park’s website said that until further notice, all three pavilions and parking areas on both sides of the lake will be closed for the safety of park visitors and to help facilitate work of the contractor.

The lake, including the drawn-down lake bed area, will be closed to all activities for the duration of the project. Parking along Laurel Run Road, for access to surrounding Rothrock State Forest, will remain open.