Work on Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam complete

Justin Strawser, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·1 min read

Jul. 25—SUNBURY — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) announced this past weekend that repairs to the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam at Shikellamy State Park have been completed and that boating season on Lake Augusta has begun.

"We are pleased to share the exciting news that the work on the fabridam has been completed so that boaters will be able to resume normal activities this weekend," said DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn in a prepared release this weekend. "Thank you to the public for being patient as we worked to make these repairs, and again special thanks to the staff at Shikellamy and within our Bureau of Facility Design and Construction for prioritizing this project and keeping the public informed at every turn."

The $1.07 million repair project caused boating season to be delayed this year. The inflation of the dam each year on the Susquehanna River creates the 3,000-acre Lake Augusta, but needed repairs caused the fourth shortened boating season since 2017.

Park officials noted that water levels may be low in some areas of the lake, including the upper portion, and urged caution when boating this weekend.

Bag six, the second one from the Shamokin Dam side, suffered damage in 2019 from multiple high-water events. A routine bag replacement was set for fall 2021, but high river levels and lower temperatures prevented the project, postponing it until this year.