U.S. Rep. John E. Peterson (PA-05) announced this afternoon that Potter
County officials will soon be receiving $560,000 in federal funding to help
rebuild the North Fork Cowanesque River Dam in Harrison Township. The grant,
to be disbursed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resource
Conservation Service, will be used by Potter County commissioners to
rehabilitate the aging floodwater retarding structure so that the dam can
once again meet design, safety, and performance standards issued by the
state.

“This important federal grant will go a long way in ensuring that vital
improvements to the North Fork Dam can be made as quickly and efficiently as
possible,” said Peterson. “A project like this is hard to undertake without
a significant infusion of money from both the state and federal levels of
government. I’m pleased that we were able to do our part in Washington so
that this important work can get started.”

The project seeks to make several important improvements to the North Fork
Dam that, when complete, will potentially extend its useful service life by
another 100 years. Those changes included raising the structure an
additional 8.2 feet, stabilizing the auxiliary spillway, repairing the
principal spillway and its outlet, and modifying the dam’s existing
embankment drain.

“We’ve been working on this project for awhile, and with the help of these
federal funds, we’ll now be able to move forward with plans to correct and
widen the dam’s spillway, and to raise its top level,” said Potter County
Commissioner John Torok. “We’re grateful to Congressman Peterson, as well as
Sens. Specter and Santorum, for supporting this important program offered by
the USDA.”

The Army Corps of Engineers originally constructed the dam in 1960 as a
medium hazard structure for the purpose of reducing flood damages to
downstream roads, bridges, and agricultural lands. The dam was designed to
be serviceable for 50 years. But the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection classified the North Fork Dam as a “high hazard” in
2002, citing problems that would put an estimated 44 houses and 132 people
at risk should the dam breach unexpectedly. At that point, Commissioner
Torok started the process of applying for grant state and federal grant
money to help do the work necessary to bring the dam into compliance with
current safety standards.

In terms of financing the dam’s rehabilitation, the federal government’s
share of $560,000 represents 65 percent of the total project cost, estimated
now at nearly $1.13 million. The rest of the money will come from state
accounts, such as the Growing Greener II program, as well as local resources
gathered by the Potter County commissioners.