Posted on June 14, 2021
WILCOX — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and an open house Thursday at the East Branch Clarion River Lake to mark the completion of the cutoff wall construction project and dam repairs that began in 2014.
This event also marks the district’s plans to return to normal pool levels per the lake’s Water Control Level.
Additionally, “This also marks the culmination of over a decade of effort by hundreds of people who spent long hours, late nights, cold winters, muggy summers and ultimately, completed a truly unique and monumental piece of engineering,” said Colonel Coby Short, commander of the USACE Pittsburgh District. “Completing this cutoff wall is part of what the Corps does every day to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure and supports one of the District’s primary missions — flood control.”
According to Short, ribbon cutting ceremonies are symbolic for several reasons: marking the completion of something great, or more importantly, signaling the beginning of something new and improved, something that will enrich, strengthen and protect the lives of others and the community, something like this East Branch Dam reopening.
“This ribbon cutting ceremony for the East Branch Dam is a celebration of achievement,” Short noted. “It’s a celebration of making our communities better and safer.”
Short recognized U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson for being a huge advocate for this project. “With the ‘power of the purse,’ he and his colleagues are ultimately the reason why we were able to undertake this project,” said Short.
In his remarks, Thompson said, “Thank you to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District and everyone involved in the East Branch Dam project. 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.”
East Branch Dam’s purpose, Short said, is to maintain public safety by minimizing flood risks for the public. He pointed to data that show the average annual flood risk management benefits from East Branch are estimated at $6.5 million in property damage prevention and $456 million since 1952 when the dam was completed.
It is one of 16 reservoirs in the Upper Ohio River Valley, 13 of which contribute to keeping Pittsburgh safe.
The dam was built between 1948 and 1952. However, because of seepage challenges and elevated risk, in 2014, the district finalized its plans to construct a cutoff wall to address internal erosion risk permanently.
Denise Polizzano, USACE area engineer and project engineer, said that preliminary work for this dam stabilization project included taking core samples. “Local contractors were employed throughout the project,” she said, adding, “construction included a 24-inch continuous concrete wall for 2,200 feet up to a depth of 250 feet to reinforce the earthen dam.”
In his remarks, Short noted that contractors placed 55,000 cubic yards of concrete. “By contrast, there are only 62,000 cubic yards of concrete in the Empire State Building. The construction team worked more than 787,000 labor hours without an accident. All of that went into constructing a vertical concrete wall to ensure the safety of this reservoir and downstream communities.”
Then asking the audience to look at the structure behind him, Short said, “Encased inside the earth is a $250 million engineering marvel. We are very proud to be able to ensure this reservoir remains safe and vibrant for decades to come. What a great example of Federal monies positively impacting American communities through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”
While the dam and reservoir continued their primary missions during the last several years, Short stated, “We realize that recreation is the secondary mission that brings most people here. Opening the lake to the public not only means visitors can enjoy this beautiful facility, it also means the year-round residents of Maple Lane can return to hiking the paths, walking their dogs and getting their daily exercise here at the lake.”
Throughout the construction period, workers also modernized the facilities to make the area a recreation destination of choice.
“Now, you will be able to rent new cabins, enjoy a new playground, utilize electric capable campsites, and soon, will have a new interpretative visitors center,” Short remarked. “We’ve worked very hard over the past several weeks, days and even hours, to make this a first-class facility.”
Polizzano said June 20 is the expected completion date for the interpretative visitor center.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Short said, “This is a new era for East Branch Clarion River Lake, and it can resume its role as the lifeblood of this region. We are excited to return the dam to normal operations.”
In attendance besides many personnel from the USACE Pittsburgh District were local officials including St. Marys Mayor Chris Pletcher and Elk County Commissioner Joseph Daghir.
In addition, Short also recognized Jeffrey Bean of Keller, the company that constructed the cut-off wall.
