City Council updated on Ohl Reservoir upgrades
PHOTO PROVIDED In this aerial image taken by Gwin Dobson & Foreman, the upgrades to Ohl Reservoir — including its spillway — are pictured.
PHOTO PROVIDED In this aerial image taken by Gwin Dobson & Foreman, the upgrades to Ohl Reservoir — including its spillway — are pictured.
PHOTO PROVIDED Ohl Reservoir’s upgrades spillway is pictured in thie aerial image taken by Gwin Dobson & Foreman.
PHOTO PROVIDED In this aerial image taken by Gwin Dobson & Foreman, the upgrades to Ohl Reservoir — including its spillway — are pictured.
PHOTO PROVIDED In this aerial image taken by Gwin Dobson & Foreman, the upgrades to Ohl Reservoir — including its spillway — are pictured.
PHOTO PROVIDED Ohl Reservoir’s upgrades spillway is pictured in thie aerial image taken by Gwin Dobson & Foreman.
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LOCK HAVEN -- Phase 1 of the Ohl Reservoir upgrades are complete, with Phase 2 on the horizon.
Lock Haven City Council received an update on the project in its reports on Monday night, with further commentary from City Manager Greg Wilson.
According to Wilson, Phase 1 cost $5,278,000. A small portion of the overall $32,000,000 improvement project that will see Ohl upgraded in Greene Township and Keller Reservoir in Wayne Township upgraded due to new requirements from the Department of Environmental Protection.
A final walk through was conducted on July 9, according to an update from Gwin Dobson and Foreman Engineer Bob Lechner.
Those at the walk through included Lechner, Wilson, Public Property Foreman Jared Gist, Water Foreman Hunter Stover and Lock Haven City Authority member Rich Marcinkevage along with Jeff Muth, of Palo -- the contractor for the project -- and Chip Grose of Pennsylvania Dam Safety.
Phase 1 of the project included a dam crest parapet wall, raised spillway walls, replacement of the spillway terminal structure, replacement of the intake bridge, constructing a lower reservoir access road and creation of a structure above the intake tower to house the valve operation.
Additionally, the existing spillway chute was rehabilitated, with repairs made to the spillway slab and spillway walls.
Phase 2 of the project includes rehabilitation of the intake tower.
According to Lechner's report, Palo was demobilizing the construction site in mid-July and expected to be complete within a week.
Council Member Rick Conklin asked Wilson if this meant operations of the reservoir had been officially moved over to the city.
Wilson said it would and further offered his praise for the work done on the project.
"I can tell you that the amount of work that went into that is just phenomenal," Wilson said.
He noted Palo worked well with city staff, including both its water foreman and public property foreman in the process and requesting input.
"Both the water foreman, as far as operation of the dam, and the public property foreman for the maintenance, were present for the walk through. Both gave instructions for final wrap up," he said.
Wilson noted Lechner's presence as well.
"Gwin Dobson has been a great help to make sure everything was being done," he said.
He said the intake tower construction will be part of Phase 2 along with improvements to the opening of the spillway.
"That's where the reservoir meets the spillway... some more work will need to be done there," he said. "Operationally, we're back on task and, right now, we are not using the bypass."
Although a lack of consistent rain has plagued the area this summer, Wilson said the water levels have remained relatively steady.
"It hasn't gone down and hasn't gone up," he said.
Once Ohl Reservoir's improvements are complete, the city will set its sights on the largest portion of its project -- the reconstruction of Keller Reservoir.
Based on DEP requirements, Keller must be able to hold not only its own water supply but Ohl's in the event of a dam break. Also included in the project is reconstruction of its spillway.
The entire improvement project -- including both dam improvements and the wells -- is expected to be completed by 2026.