WILCOX — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house at the East Branch Clarion River Lake to mark the completion of the cutoff wall construction and dam repairs that began in 2014.
The event also marks the district’s plans to return normal pool levels per the lake’s Water Control Manual.
“Thank you to the Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District and everyone involved in the East Branch Dam project,” said U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa.. “These renovations have been a massive undertaking and will continue to support dam safety and the Army Corps long-term risk reduction plan, while allowing our community and all its visitors to enjoy the East Branch Clarion River Lake for years to come.”
The open house, from noon to 4 p.m. May 27, will include interactive stations and displays to inform visitors about the reservoir and its campground. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be limited to select guests and members of the news media in keeping with Center for Disease Control guidelines. The open house will be open to all visitors.
The open house is a free event, open to the public. Please wear close-toed flat shoes. Some surfaces on the dam and in other areas maybe uneven, slippery or have grading. No weapons permitted. Mask-wearing will be required for all visitors, and social distancing must be maintained.
The Army Corps has completed the grouting program and installation of a full-depth seepage cutoff wall required to repair the East Branch Dam. The wall consists of 149 concrete panels, forming a minimum 18-inch-wide continuous vertical wall approximately 2,300 feet long with an approximate maximum depth of 250 feet through the existing embankment dam into bedrock.
Public safety is the number one priority of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Pittsburgh District conducted a risk assessment in 2008 that resulted in East Branch being recognized as having a high urgency for repair. As a result of this finding, the district implemented risk reduction measures that included lowering the summer and winter pool levels by 20 feet to relieve pressure on the dam.
The repairs included grouting operations, followed by installing 149 concrete panels into bedrock, up to 250 feet in depth. Throughout construction, the lake continued the project mission: flood control, water quality, fish/wildlife preservation and recreation.
Since its completion in 1952, East Branch Dam has prevented flood damages estimated to be more than $98 million, equivalent to $456 million in today’s dollars. During the June 1972 floods from Tropical Storm Agnes, the East Branch prevented more than $20 million in damages, equivalent to $139 million today. The average annual flood risk management benefits at East Branch are estimated at $6.5 million.
Now that the safety classification of the dam has been restored, the summer pool level will eventually return to 1670 feet (above sea level) for the first time in more than a decade. The lake’s water depth is 117 feet deep. Raising the pool level relies entirely on the weather and rain.
