Local officials are short around $7,000 needed to begin figuring out the future of Berger Lake –– an icon of Galeton Borough.
A $115,000 feasibility study is in the plans that would look at if the dam should stay in place with alterations –– or the structure should be taken out altogether and replaced with recreation opportunities.
“They all want to save the lake. Everybody is behind it,” Borough Secretary Andrea Caracciolo told The Era on Monday. “That’s what makes Galeton. That’s the scenic beauty.”
The dam along U.S. Route 6 has several issues, including the interruption of paddle craft heading downstream, the lake size and accumulated sediment limits recreation potential, and sediment has built up behind the dam and lowered the depth of the lake, according to information on the study. The structure, named after the late state Senator James Berger, also requires minor repairs.
What’s more, Galeton Development Corp. spokesman Mike Plummer said the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission had put the dam on its 12-year plan for removal.
But Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission press secretary Eric Levis refuted the claim, saying the commission has no plans to remove the dam. What Plummer is referring to is a recommendation found in the Pine Creek Management Plan.
In any case, local officials want to determine what’s next for the lake, and that’s where the feasibility study comes in. In any case, local officials want to determine what’s next for the lake, and that’s where the feasibility study comes in. Much of the cost for the study would be covered by a $95,000 state grant.
Meanwhile, the Galeton Development Corp. would contribute $20,000. Thus far, around $13,000 has been raised, of which $5,000 came from the Potter County Commissioners using Act 13 money and $8,000 came from citizens and former residents. Around $7,000 remains to be raised, Plummer said.
If the study goes forward, three options would being looked at in the borough, which include building a ladder to allow migration of fish and controlling silt; replacing the dam with rock-arch rapids to allow for kayaking and canoeing; and removing the dam and having a scenic stream throughout the town, according to Plummer.
Both the second and third options would allow for an expansion of the John J. Collins Park and and the recreation area, he said.
Any work that would be completed in that area would require approval from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
One aspect in the borough that should remain untouched is the “jungle,” an area that is now underwater, he said. Back in the day, Plummer said the site had been infested by snakes and mosquitoes.
“It’s important that something good come out of this,” Plummer said.
Initially, the borough council would not accept grant money for the project, saying it did not want to be in the position of raising taxes, Plummer said.
“The (grant) application was then recycled and filed in the same form by the Potter County Redevelopment Authority and the Galeton Development Corp. agreed to raise the matching funds,” he said.
Potter County Commissioner Paul Heimel said the borough finds itself in a tough spot in being responsible for a dam that he considers failing.
“It makes sense to gain a thorough understanding of the options before making any major decisions,” he said. “The fate of the lake depends on the study’s conclusions about the feasibility of repairing or replacing the dam. A companion issue is the recreational potential of the West Branch of Pine Creek to complement activities that are popular downstream in Tioga County and some of the tourist promotion marketing that is on the drawing board once the new Potter-Tioga Region (tourism agency) is launched later this year.”
To contribute to funding the study, checks can be sent to the Galeton Development Corp., Northwest Bank, 30 West St., Galeton PA 16922. “Lake study” should be written in the memo portion of the check.
