The Chapman Dam rehabilitation project will begin September 5 with a complete drawdown of Chapman Lake. Work is expected to be completed by December 2018.

A date has been set for the drawdown of Chapman Lake.

“Dam rehabilitation work is set to begin with the complete drawdown of Chapman Lake the day after Labor Day, Tuesday, September 5, 2017,” Chapman State Park officials said in a Monday morning Facebook post, “and work is expected to be completed by December 2018.

According to a “notice of selection/notice of award/letter of intent” posted on the state Department of General Services website, the Bucks County firm of KC Construction has been selected.

That document said that the contract amount is $9,950,000.

A contract had initially been awarded back in April, but a letter from DGS to the contractor dated May 1 and available publicly on the DGS website indicated that there was a discrepancy between the state and the company on a portion of the contract, “which continues to delay construction on this high-hazard dam, prolonging the threat to public health and safety.”

Improvements will include “sediment removal, repairs to the dam’s control tower and spillway concrete to bring the lake in compliance with statewide flood requirements,” Park officials said on Facebook. “A fish habitat improvement project will also be undertaken before the lake returns to normal pool.”

“We appreciate the drawdown will be an inconvenience to anglers, boaters and other visitors, but the integrity of the dam and safety of our park visitors is of the utmost importance,” the Park’s statement said. “It is a short-term inconvenience for a long-term improvement. Safety, fish habitat, depth, and function all will improve.”

“Presently, the spillway fails to meet requirements of a Probable Maximum Flood – one that could result from the most severe combination of rainfall and hydrologic conditions for the area. To remedy the situation, the dam embankment will be armored with concrete, enabling water to safely overtop it during an extreme flood event. Work will bring the dam into compliance with guidelines established for safe operation and maintenance of dams by state Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Dam Safety.”

Officials said that sediment will be removed from “approximately two-thirds of the lake bottom. As much as three to four feet in some areas, totaling 70,000 cubic yards of sediment removed. The benefit to fishing, boating and swimming by having the sediment removed will be tremendous.”

While lake-related recreation – boating, swimming, fishing – will be impacted by the project, Park officials made note of what will remain open.

“The campground, cottages, yurts, hiking trails, and most pavilions will remain open,” they said. “Many events will still occur, such as the annual Women’s Outdoor Workshops and Warren County Winterfest.”

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will be involved in efforts “to harvest fish populations” and will be involved with the “management of the lake’s fishery before, during and after the project.”