Somerset Commissioners arrange meeting for $7.5M dam repair project

SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Somerset County commissioners have arranged a meeting between the state officials who oversee High Point Lake and a group of people who vacation or live near the 300-acre lake.

The lake is set to undergo a $7.5 million dam repair.

The group, which includes Virginia, Pittsburgh-area and local residents who have used the lake for recreation for years or decades, views the project as wasteful spending, according to our media partners at the Tribune-Democrat . Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officials counter that the work is needed to prevent a future catastrophe at the lake, located in southern Somerset County near Mount Davis, the state’s high point.

In a presentation to the Somerset County commissioners, the Friends of High Point Lake voiced concerns that draining the lake could wipe away years of summer memories there and perhaps ruin its reputation as a high-quality waterway and fishery. The group has hired an engineer to review the dam and conducted a high-profile campaign to raise awareness.

Several cited its lure as a year-round fishery, particularly in the winter months, saying it attracts visitors who support the rural economy. Others cited its habitat for shore birds and expressed worries that the fish and wildlife there would be lost or driven away by the repairs.

The Fish and Boat Commission manages the state-owned High Point Lake and is conducting the project to eliminate the risk of a potential failure, which would pose a “catastrophic danger” to homes and properties downstream, state officials said.

The commission is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection on a project that would replace the earthen dam’s embankment, its concrete spillway and outlet, which allows water to continue toward the Casselman River, it said in a document provided to The Tribune-Democrat.

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