Nov 25, 2013 3 min read

COKEBURG – The cost of dam repairs at a popular fishing spot in Cokeburg has more than doubled to an unmanageable $1.2 million, a state lawmaker said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection’s latest suggestions on the scope of the work needed to protect the breastwork from failing involve costs the small borough cannot afford, state Sen. Tim Solobay said.

“My fear is they will have to dewater it,” said Solobay, D-Canonsburg.

The DEP had considered the dam a high hazard when Cokeburg used the small lake off Route 917 as a reservoir, putting borough employees’ safety at risk when they worked the water house below the dam. The high-hazard designation was lifted after the borough contracted for water with the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi. However, the DEP still set deadlines to either destroy the lake or make the needed repairs to the dam.

Cokeburg Council hesitated spending local taxpayer money to repair the dam because it’s leased for recreational purposes to the private Ellsworth Sportsmen’s Club, which has lobbied to save it from being destroyed.

The DEP in 2012 gave the borough an extension to either repair or drain the lake until October of that year so that the borough could try to find the money to meet the original $300,000 price tag for reconstruction.

Solobay said the borough did secure $250,000 for the work last year from the local share of proceeds from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in North Strabane Township. Another $200,000 grant was announced for the project last week from the state’s tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.

The DEP, however, reacted to Cokeburg’s construction plan in August by asking the borough to broaden the work and rebuild the breastwork from the bedrock up, potentially sending the cost skyrocketing and putting the project on hold again.

DEP spokesman John Poister said the department will meet with the borough’s engineers next month to reach an agreement on the cost and scope of the work.

“The saga is ongoing,” said Poister, adding the DEP recognizes the importance of the lake to local fishermen.

“We realize nobody has any money these days. We want to work with them,” Poister said.

On its Facebook page, the sportsmen’s club stated it was raising money to contribute $5,000 toward matching one of the grants.

“The Cokeburg dam is an important part of the Cokeburg community and surrounding area with limited access to fishable streams and lakes,” the post stated.

The club also indicated on its website that fishing permits at the lake would need to be sold to the general public because tax money had been earmarked for the dam project.