Permitting delays push back re-open date for Somerset Lake
SOMERSET, Pa. - Anglers will have to wait another year before they can use the waters at Somerset Lake.
According to the Fish and Boat Commission, construction at lake has been delayed to due to permitting.
The lake was drained in October 2017 to prep for a multi-million-dollar construction project to build a new spillway, raise the elevation of the dam top and make repairs to the dam.
The construction was slated to begin this fall, but now will likely start in the spring of 2019.
“Any changes in timing of the reconstruction of the dam breast and spillway will not have any impact on the ongoing efforts to fund and implement the planned visitor enhancements at the surrounding Somerset Lake Nature Park,” said PFBC District 4 Commissioner Lenny Lichvar.
“On the positive side, this will provide added time for large-scale habitat and other fish habitat improvements to be completed while the lake is drawn down."
Under the new timeline, the lake was expected to be open to anglers in the fall of 2020, but that has been pushed back by one year.
The property will open to visitors to walk or run during construction, but use of the lake will be prohibited.
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