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August 1, 2012

Fish Commission seeking funds to fix Tamarack

The Meadville Tribune

MEADVILLE — Not only is the state Fish & Boat Commission seeking funds to fix the leak in the northern dam of Tamarack Lake, it intends to upgrade both the southern and northern dams.

That information is revealed in a recent letter from Commission Deputy Director Brian Barner to Crawford County Commissioner Sherman Allen.

Barner could not be reached for comment late Tuesday afternoon after the Tribune received a copy of the letter. In it, Barner indicates the commission is seeking funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority through the H20 PA Act, which provides grants for flood control projects, to “rebuild and upgrade” the lake’s two dams. The letter also indicates that the state Department of Environmental Protection has classified Tamarack as a flood control facility and that both of its dams must be upgraded to meet current standards.

The letter, dated July 25 and initialed by Allen on Monday, does not outline the scope of the work, the cost or provide a timeline. However, the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s website indicates H20 PA funding application requests are not being accepted at this time.

The 562-acre lake was drawn down after officials observed water seeping through its northern dam, which is in West Mead Township, and from underneath the northern dam’s outlet. The drawdown of approximately four feet on Nov. 23, 2011, followed consultation with dam safety officials at the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Allen said he was being cautious not to get overly encouraged by the letter. “I’m not sure yet how what to read into the letter. We need to know more,” he said Tuesday evening.

“Some of the people (interested in repairing the dam and refilling Tamarack Lake) have been to a couple of (commissioners) meetings, and I’ve talked to some of those people on the phone; and I know we (commissioners) were preparing to write a letter to try to rectify the situation,” Allen said. “But I don’t want to jump to conclusions yet based on the wording in the letter.

“The main thing is to get the lake situation fixed and to do so in a good, timely order. The letter would be encouraging news, but I’m not sure what the full process is (at this time) to get an award,” Allen said.

Lakeshore residents and others who use the lake for recreation banded together for action this spring when it became clear that the commission had no certain timeline for repairing the problem and refilling the lake.

They formed a group, Friends of Tamarack Lake, that has been very active lobbying local and state officials to repair the dam and refill the lake, which has several public access points and is a popular fishing and boating site.

Most recently, the group met with Republican state Sen. Bob Robbins at the northern dam on Friday, and Robbins indicated his full support. He said to his understanding, state-hired engineers are currently “doing the (research) to find out what the problem is, and what needs to be done. ... (The commission) just has to get through the process” of completing that engineering work, he added, and then “we’ll talk to (commission officials) and get them to get a report issued as speedily as possible.”

And when it comes to funding for any possible future projects to repair the dam, “we’ll try to find dollars wherever we can,” said Robbins.

Contacted Tuesday, Robbins aide Gary Clark said the senator was aware that the commission was seeking funding, but that particulars were not discussed at the meeting because they didn’t have details.

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