LAWRENCE COUNTY Lawmakers seek help to replace dam

The dam is eroding, and replacing it could be five years away.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County commissioners are lobbying legislators for help in replacing the Slippery Rock Creek dam at Camp Allegheny.
Camp Allegheny is The Salvation Army's summer camp home in Wayne Township. The Slippery Rock Creek is the camp's water supply, Commissioner Ed Fosnaught said.
Fosnaught is on the Salvation Army advisory board and is a former Camp Allegheny camper. He said he often attended the camp as a child. The camp is on the Slippery Rock Creek between Ellwood City and Portersville.
Fosnaught said he was contacted by Salvation Army officials about how to involve the Amy Corps of Engineers in the project. He has already contacted Melissa Hart's office about the project and will also contact U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum.
"It didn't take much lobbying to get Ms. Hart's support, and we've no doubt the senators will support this," Fosnaught said.
Camp's uses
The Salvation Army camp has many uses, including summer camps for children from low-income families, Fosnaught said. The camp has two buildings that are heated and air-conditioned, making it suitable for use no matter the weather, he said.
Senior citizens and other community groups can use the camp, and Salvation Army officials encourage 12-month use of the facilities.
"The Salvation Army is faith-based, but they are also a nonprofit social organization, and that work they do is nondenominational," Fosnaught said.
Replacement cost
Fosnaught said replacing the dam will cost about $5 million. He said the Army Corps of Engineers will take on such projects, but its involvement requires the approval of Congress.
Two laws are already in place that allow the Army Corps of Engineers to replace dams, he said. There is funding available every two years, but Congress has to vote to include specific projects in that funding.
Fosnaught said he thinks it will take about five years for the funding and government processes to fall into place to replace the dam.
He said he hopes the dam can survive that long because it is eroding. The erosion is taking place at the base of the dam, and engineers say the water will eventually begin to flow underneath it.
Fosnaught said that though there would not be any significant damage downstream or danger if the dam breaks, having the dam on the creek is needed to regulate water levels because the creek supplies water to the camp.