Senate funds dam repairs

The lake was drained several years ago to protect houses downstream.

GIRARD — It looks as though the city doesn’t have to go forward with plans to demolish the dam at Lower Girard Lake.

The Water Resources Development Act Conference Report passed the Senate on Monday night 81-12, and it authorizes $16 million for repairing the dam, U.S. Sen. George Voinovich announced.

For years, the city has been under orders from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to either repair the dam or tear it down because it is unsafe.

The dam was built in 1918, said Girard Mayor Jim Melfi, creating the 100-acre lake to use as a water source for industry, primarily the steel mills.

Melfi said there was no swimming or boating on the lake, though it was used in the past for fishing.

The lake was drained several years ago to protect about 30 households downstream from a failure of the dam, he said.

Nonetheless, he said, the city doesn’t want to do away with the dam.

“There are some people who believe there is value to that property with the lake on it.”

Wants to preserve lake

Melfi said Monday the city has been trying to get federal funds to repair the dam because it would like to preserve the lake.

Up until now, there hasn’t been any indication the money would be coming, he said.

In a conference report, language in House and Senate bills is made the same. The final bill is then sent back to the congressional houses for a vote, which happened in the Senate on Monday evening, according to Voinovich.

Melfi said he is happy to hear about the passage. “Absolutely. But we’re not going to celebrate just yet,” he said.

He said the city is on a course to breach the dam by this time next year because of the ODNR order.

He said he doesn’t know how long it would take for Girard to get the money once the bill is finally passed and signed. It would be up to the ODNR and the state attorney general’s office, he said, to allow the city more time to do repairs instead of breaching it.