Vesuvius project under way

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 5, 2001

PEDRO – Excavators followed survey crews last week as dam rehabilitation efforts got under way at Lake Vesuvius.

Wednesday, September 05, 2001

PEDRO – Excavators followed survey crews last week as dam rehabilitation efforts got under way at Lake Vesuvius.

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As of this weekend, crews had started to excavate a few feet, with the grass and face plates on the earthen dam now removed, said Becky Ewing, Wayne National Forest fisheries biologist who is overseeing recreation plan development.

The U. S. Forest Service recently awarded the repair contract to T-C Inc. from Indianapolis, Ind., on a successful bid of just over $3.7 million.

Once excavation is complete, the company will apply special roller-compacted concrete to the dam, then recover it with soil.

The project will strengthen the decades-old dam and renovate the spillway, bringing them in line with today’s standards even though it was never considered unsafe.

The road to the boat dock and the parking area below the dam will be closed off when equipment moves. The closure is necessary to ensure public safety during the construction work.

Although the length of the contract is estimated at 10 months, T-C Inc. hopes to complete most of the work by the end of the year, forest officials said.

Also, the forest has established the Vesuvius Overlook to offer a great view of the dam and is a safe place to watch the construction work. The forest Web site (www.fs.fed.us/r9/wayne) will offer a photo update of the repair project, too.

During the project, the Wayne is concentrating on recreation improvements in the lake area, Ms. Ewing said.

Employees are nearing the end of their analysis, which has examined everything from the need to establish better fish habitat to new trail ideas, she said.

"We will put everything together and send it out for public comment, probably sometime in October," Ms. Ewing said.

The recreation plans will likely include numerous alternatives, on which the forest will accept public comments.