Elizabethtown College and its Facilities Management team worked diligently on many different projects while students, faculty and staff were enjoying their vacation this summer. The largest and seemingly most visible project that the college took on was the Lake Placida project outside of Leffler Chapel and Performance Center, which is still in progress.
The lake project was necessary because the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania deemed the lake’s dam to be a “high hazard” dam. The reasoning behind the Commonwealth’s decision and the eventual dam reconstruction was that the reconstruction would prevent a breach in the dam, which would virtually eliminate the chance of buildings  in the Etown community flooding because of the lake.
By stabilizing the dam and installing a step weir, the College met mandates for what the commonwealth calls a “100-year storm”. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania considers a 100-year storm as one that drops rainfall totals that has a one percent probability of occurring at that location during the year.
Dredging the 15 years’ worth of sediment at the bottom of the lake began on Sept. 17 and will proceed for three weeks. The Campus Connections sent out to the entire campus community said, “Temporary gravel path will be laid on the lake bed to give construction vehicles access to the lake bed.” This will allow for construction to happen at a more rapid pace because of easier access to the lake’s interior. At this point, Lake Placida is completely empty of water, allowing the sediment to dry.
The construction, which began in May, is supposed to see completion in late November. Joe Metro, director of Facilities Management and construction, said that the College had hoped to finished the job earlier, but inclement weather did not allow for it. “We had originally hoped to have it completed by late October, but the wet summer created delays. Final plantings and fish stocking will take place in the spring,” Metro said.
All plantlife that had inhabited the bottom of the lake was also be removed during the dredging process. “The bottom profile of the lake and the shoreline will remain the same except for the dam/weir itself,” said Metro. The content that is being removed from the lake has been disposed of in a local landfill. A plan is being created so that plants, both in and around the surrounding areas of the lake, will be introduced in the spring.
After all the construction is complete, the lake will be refilled. With the construction being a necessity, Facilities Management decided to improve the habitat and overall ecosystem of the lake as well. These changes will also help with the improvement of the lake’s water quality. “Facilities created this plan in conjunction with the biology department and with the support of the PA Fish and Boat Commission. A fish habitat is being installed in the form of concrete rubble piles from the old dam and fish crib wood pallet structures,” Metro said.
The structures that are being created will help serve as feeding areas for both forage and game fish. “These improvements will serve the same purpose as reefs in saltwater to attract and sustain a diversity of species,” Metro said. The improvements to the habitats will provide the fish inhabitants with the covering that will be imperative for the survival and their ability to reproduce.
Many questions arose as to what was to happen to the rest of the wildlife that lived in and around the lake with the construction taking place. Facilities believes that by refilling the lake, the turtle population will return to Lake Placida. “Turtle basking logs will be installed in the shallow areas to provide a basking habitat, and native aquatic shoreline plants will be introduced to not only improve the water quality, but support native wildlife,” Metro said.
Once the construction project on Lake Placida is fully complete, students, faculty and staff alike will be able to enjoy what the lake has to offer and will once again become an attractive element of the College’s landscape.