Meadow Grounds Lake: Returning Soon!

Built in the mid 1960's, the Meadow Grounds Lake provided untold hours of recreation for those who frequented it.  The lake, owned and controlled by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission sits on lands owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Word spread in the winter of 2013 that the PFBC was drawing down the lake with no plan and no funding to repair and restore it.  Some thoughtful person posted this sign at the boat ramp. 

The meeting was well attended, nearly filling the auditorium of the Central Fulton High School.  At times emotions ran high as members of the public and local politicians voiced their concerns and frustrations with the loss of the lake as well as the lack of transparency of the process.

After seven long years of local fundraising and lobbying efforts by dedicated members of the community and in particular the board of Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake, construction is finally about to begin.  

The project calls for the top of the dam crest to be raised 3.6 feet while the full pool water level will remain the same.

The downstream slope of the dam will be flattened, extending the base of the dam farther down stream. A seepage collection and conveyance system will also be installed in the dam.

The conduit through the dam will be slip-lined with pipe and modification will be made to the control tower.

The existing spillway and stilling basin will be removed and replaced.

The PFBC will begin stocking the lake as it refills beginning with the minnow forage base. The breaking down of the abundant vegetative debris will serve to supercharge the resurgent aquatic life as the lake returns to normal.

  

Meadow Grounds Lake Update

Finally, over two years after the draining of the Meadow Grounds Lake, the wheels of restoration are turning.  After two years of dedicated work the Friends of the Meadow Grounds Lake received some great news at their Monday night meeting.  Michele Jacoby, Director of the Bureau of Engineering for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PAFBC) and Tim Schaeffer, PAFBC Director of Policy and Planning along with representatives from both Senator Eichelberger and Rep. Topper's office were there to deliver the good news.

We were informed that the design engineer had been selected just hours before the meeting and that the final design and engineering costs will be negotiated in the coming months.  As if that news were not enough, Mr. Schaeffer reported that Gov. Wolf's office has committed to releasing the construction funds for not only the Meadow Grounds Lake but for all of the PAFBC high-hazard, unsafe dams contingent upon the passage of a structurally balanced budget both this year and next. 

While there is still a long ways to go before the lake is refilled and open for business, the light at the end of the tunnel has finally appeared!

Rainy day foliage

 Soon the autumn color will be gone, replaced by the browns and grays of winter. Winter's austere landscape is only a short prelude until the fresh new life of Spring arrives in all of its glory!

The Barn Wrap-up and Moving On

While the barn restoration will be an ongoing project for quite some time to come, we finally reached my goal for this year of returning the barn to a usable condition.

 

In early September I got some much needed help when Willard and his son-in-law Justin joined me for a barn work day.  Our work that day consisted of laying plywood over the barn floor.  Some of the barn floor was double layer boards while most of the mows were single layer.  Adding the plywood over the single layer areas gave it strong smooth floor.

 

Willard and Justin working up a sweat

A finished section

With the stable finished, the cattle was able to return.

A group of young animals penned, ready to be shipped to market.

 

I must admit that while caring for the small herd I became attached to these animal and it was with a heavy heart that I watched them go.

 

The year's barn restoration wrapped up just in time for me to enjoy the fall colors.  What is more beautiful on a foggy fall morning than some brightly colored leaves and a derelict country farm house.

Driving back to the site of still empty Meadow Grounds Lake I was pleased to see the above sign.  The Friends of the Meadow Grounds Lake continue to work towards the restoration and currently are in the midst of the fundraising campaign. 

The small pool remaining at the dam made the perfect background for a dew laden spider's web.

 

Thank you for visiting and stop back soon

Meadow Grounds Lake Update: Great News!

An empty hole in the ground is all that remains where the beautiful Meadow Grounds Lake once lay. 

Pa State Senator Eichelberger and Representative Topper attended last night's Friends of the Meadow Grounds Lake monthly board meeting to deliver an update on the repair and refilling of the lake.

Senator Eichelberger pointed out that the geotechnical study of the dam is completed and awaiting review by PFBC officials before being made available to the public.  Secondly and perhaps most importantly, the PFBC had committed to funding the $400,000 design phase of the project.

Senator Eichelberger advised us that the recently passed transportation bill provides for a steady stream of revenue to be used to repair high-hazard dams across the state.  He also noted that government funding for the repair of the dam will likely come from a number of sources.  Along with government funding the community is expected to raise somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000 of a local match.

The direction of the FOMGLis now changing from raising awareness and political contact to fundraising as we move into the design and funding phase of the project.




Meadow Grounds Lake; the way it was and will be again!

As we move into the design/fundraising phase, I am excited to think about being able to document the repair and refilling of the lake soon to come!

Meadow Grounds Lake, Still Empty At Year's End

Empty, with the exception of a small pool, the Meadow Grounds awaits the political will to identify funding for the necessary repairs.

 

View of the lake outlet.  Notice the outline of the concrete abutment in the ice.  I can only surmise that the outline was caused by the temperature difference between the concrete and the deeper water as the ice is a few inches above the abutment. 

There is an old saying that goes thus, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease", and in view of recent developments apparently we Fulton County residents and Meadow Grounds Lake users are not squeaking loud enough.

 A view from the former lake bed looking west into what was a cove that was productive for both fish and waterfowl.

Tonight I visited the PFBC website and viewed the High-Hazard, Unsafe Dam Revitalization Program Update page which had just recently been updated.  Reading over the projects the Colyer Lake repair grabbed my attention.

 The draining of Centre County's Colyer Lake was announced the day of the first public meeting about the Meadow Grounds, about a month after the Meadow Grounds drawdown anouncment.  Colyer Lake drew much media attention from the State College, Johnstown area and by early May the PFBC had reconsidered the complete drawdown and announced that a 17 foot reduction in the water level would be adequate to insure safety until funding could be found.

Fish structure installed by the PFBC in 2012

 

With much media attention and apparently the attention of the state senator serving the area today the 7.2 million Colyer Lake project is fully funded as listed below (PFBC website) 

                                                     1. GBO - $5.85 million (Senator Corman
                                                     2. Save Colyer Lake inc. - $100,000
                                                     3. PFBC - $1.25 million in Act 89 funding

 

Not only is the funding in hand but the PFBC has completed the engineering design and the project is currently awaiting Department of Environmental Protection review and approval!  It is very apparent from line 1 above that Senator Corman heard his constituents concerns and acted in their interest.

Meanwhile the Meadow Grounds lies empty with no funding identified.

 

And I have yet to receive a reply to a November 9th email sent to my State Senator, John Eichelberger, asking what effect if any that Senate Bill 680 has on funding the repairs to the Meadow Grounds dam.  In the beginning Senator Eichelberger seemed quite eager to do what was necessary for the restoration of our lake, now I am not as sure.

 

Rest assured that prior to voting for anyone for county commissioner or state office I will need to know their position concerning the lake and before voting for any incumbent I will not be listening to their promises but rather will be looking at their record.  

 

 

Meadow Grounds Lake Re-visited

 

It has been a while since I have shared photos of the drained lake.  This photo was taken from near the end of the shallow pool left as a catch basin facing the dam breast wall. 

 

On the western side across from the former boat dock a shallow pool still exists.  It appears that it is only a few inches deep. 

 

 

I didn't see any wildlife utilizing the pool but it did make a nice reflection shot.

 

 

Most of the lake bed is now covered in a thick mat of smartweed and sedge

 

 

A view of a small pool

 

 

In some places the exposed sediment has not broken down and is nearly as hard as shale

 

 

It appears that someone cut tires into sections and dropped them into the lake to improve fish habitat.  It has been a few decades since wide whitewall tires were popular which would lead me to believe that these tires have been here for quite some time.  They were in 20+ feet of water which protected them from damaging UV rays.

With SB680 stalled in the Pa House transportation committee; hope of the lake being repaired and refilled anytime soon is doubtful.

Meadow Grounds Lake: Vegetation Takes Root

A view from the dam breast shows the fresh green vegetation beginning to cover the former lake bed. 

Areas near the northern access point are now supporting considerable new growth.  Apparently the sediment deposited on the lake floor held a good stock of viable seed.

 

A view looking southward from the northern access point with Roaring Run in the foreground.

 

Lush grasses stabilize the soil along the stream.  With the passing of each day the threat of significant erosion and sedimentation of Roaring Run downstream of the dam diminishes. 

 

While many of us morn the loss of this Fulton County treasure some visitors show their disdain for our public spaces.  Not only were these beverage cans strewn about but the recently erected sign at the northern access point has been removed and someone had driven into the lake bed cutting large ruts into the soft soil.

 

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the PFBC decision to drain the lake makes no difference; it is no excuse to vandalize and litter of our public property. 

Meadow Grounds Lake Update

 

 

After totally draining the lake the PFBC is now allowing the lake to refill to a depth of six feet.

According to a PFBC representative I spoke with this is being done to minimize the amount of sediment reaching Roaring Run and to reduce vandalism to the dam. 

A few dead fish were still visible during my last visit but the surprising find was a considerable number of small bluegills present it the pool.  Apparently these bluegills were able to return through the dam before the refilling began.

 

 

More small bluegills can be seen below the dam.  With a few stop logs now in the dam their return to the former lake is blocked.

 

 

New growth can be seen sprouting from the freshly dried sediment.

 

Where the sediment deposits have been exposed for a longer period, grass is beginning to stabilize the soil.

 

The Friends of the Meadow Grounds Lake held the first public meeting Monday evening.  While a few attendees felt it necessary to vent some pent up frustrations, the meeting by and large was very positive.  Approximately 100 persons attended as the leadership explained where the organization is and where we are headed.  While it will take a few years and considerable politicking from this dedicated group our lake will be back. 

 

 The Friends of the Meadow Grounds Lake will accept no less.

The Valley of Death

Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Meadow Grounds Lake Drained!

 

View of the former Meadow Grounds Lake taken from near the top of the outlet.

 

The PFBC finished draining the Meadow Grounds Lake Wednesday June 12th.

 

While the PFBC reportedly did live trap and transfer a number of truck loads of fish, the carnage that remained was considerable.

View from the top of the dam

While the draining of the lake may have been necessary to correct the deficiencies in the dam breast wall the agency certainly has not made the case nor do the dam inspection reports show the necessity of such drastic action.   The PFBC's shroud of secrecy in making the decision, the failure to announce the decision until only days before the draining began, the failure on multiple occasions to keep local officials advised of developments concerning the lake, and the brushing aside of citizens comments at the one public meeting held three weeks after the draining began, illustrates that either the PFBC is inept at handling public relations or more likely has forgotten who pays their salaries, who gives them their gold plated healthcare, and their pensions that far exceeds anything available in private industry short of what CEO's receive. 

Dead fish near the dam

As I stepped from my car after parking near the dam the odor of rotting fish filled the air.  These photos were taken in the former lake bed.

Dead fish litters the former lakebed



A large walleye lies in the sediment where it died as the lake drained away

 

Pool of rotting fish

 

 

Below the dam was no better.  This photo was taken in the area where PFBC personnel were capturing fish as the last of the lake drained away.

Farther down stream below their trapping location Roaring Run was littered with the carcasses of dead fish.

While many fish were trucked away, and as you can see many more lie where they have died, even more were recovered and hauled away to the pit constructed nearby.  While I do not have any photos of the thousands of fish discarded in the pit you can see them by visiting Friends of the Meadow Grounds on Facebook.

Friends of the Meadow Grounds Lake first public event

The bright note of the day was visiting with members of the new organization, Friends of the Meadow Grounds Lake as they held their first public event in McConnellsburg.  While the PFBC has now completed flushing 50 years of aquatic life down the drain the Friends are committed to doing whatever it takes to bring it back to life.

Visit the Friends website for the latest information.