Dredging closes Ryerson pool
The swimming pool and other popular outdoor amenities at Ryerson Station State Park will be closed this summer while construction crews dredge Duke Lake in preparation to rebuild its dam, state officials announced Thursday.
Workers began in April pulling vegetation and sediment from the lake’s bed, which has been dry since 2005 after cracks were found in the dam, and are depositing the excess material on top of a coal refuse dump in Mather.
Alan Johnson, the park manager for Ryerson Station, said the number of trucks working at the site near the Maple Grove Day Use Area, including the swimming pool and several picnic pavilions made it too dangerous to allow people to spend time there during the summer.
“One of the main concerns we have is safety with the high volume of truck traffic going in and out of there next to the pool,” Johnson said. “Visitor safety is the first issue, and the second issue is that there’s an incredible amount of dust blowing around.”
The Polly Hill campground, group tenting area, hiking trails and picnic areas located in other sections of the park will remain open.
As weather improved this month, Johnson said they received numerous calls from people asking when the pool will be open. The staff experienced very little backlash from the public as they explained the reasons for closure, he said.
“A lot of them are unaware that the work is going on if they’re calling outside the local area,” he said. “But once we tell them what is going on, we haven’t had much negative feedback.”
Other swimming options in Greene County that are available to the public include Alpha Aquatics Center in Waynesburg, Mon View Park and Pool in Greensboro, and Wana B. Park in Carmichaels. Greene County residents can also inquire about swimming hours and fees at Cameron Swimming Pool in Marshall County, W.Va., by calling 304-686-3462.
State officials expect the dredging of Duke Lake and transplanting of sediment to Mather will be completed by early next year, meaning the swimming pool and other outdoor areas could be reopened for next season. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is overseeing a plan to truck about 250,000 cubic yards of soil from Ryerson to Mather’s 70-acre coal waste site.
DCNR has to dredge the lake bed before it can rebuild the dam and refill Duke Lake. However, there is no timeline on when a permit might be issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection to begin reconstruction of the dam.
Duke Lake has been dry for the past decade after inspections revealed expanding cracks in the concrete dam in 2005. The DEP determined the damage was caused by subsidence from Consol Energy’s Bailey Mine that burrows beneath the park, although the company denies being at fault. The state and Consol reached a settlement in 2013 to end litigation that will result in the rebuilding of the dam.