Officials: Dam repair project expected to be finished next week

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

Jul. 15—SUNBURY — The summer repair project for the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam is expected to be finished by the end of next week and boating season should start by the end of the month, according to park officials.

Jared Fencil, assistant regional manager for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of State Parks Region 1, reported on Friday that the causeway has been removed. The inflation process has been going well.

"The lake level is rising slowly, and not quite to full pool yet," said Fencil. "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we expect to have a full lake by the end of next week. Courtesy launch docks will be placed at the State Park Boat Ramp at the end of the month."

The inflation process of the dam began on July 6. The speed of the inflation process will be dependent on river levels and may take up to two weeks or more before Lake Augusta is at its normal summer level, park officials said.

The $1.07 million repair project caused boating season to be delayed this year until at least mid-to-late August. 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.

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.

The Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association in 2016 relocated its headquarters and boathouse from near the junction of Routes 11 & 15 and the former Tedd's Landing to the island portion of the Shikellamy State Park near the courtesy dock. The group has about 25 members temporarily using the docks and area they were previously using prior to 2016. They had worked out an arrangement with Bucknell and Susquehanna universities to row off their docks and with property owner Denise Skotedis, said Association President Richard Orwig.

Orwig said the news is welcome.

"It's really good. We're happy to see the water up," said Orwig. "We already took some actions. We put in our docks last night at the state park. We're planning on taking advantage of it. We put in ramps and hooked up our docks. We're moving all our boats starting this weekend."

Orwig said some of their rowers came out last night into the water and watched the docks being put together.

"We'll be able to row all the way up to Winfield," he said. "We were only able to row up to the Northumberland bridge, but even that was a bit treacherous with rocks."