YORK, Pennsylvania -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released the new Indian Rock Dam Master Plan that will serve as a guiding document for decision making at the lake for the next 15 to 25 years, Feb. 6, 2020.
The revised Indian Rock Dam (IRD) Master Plan provides a framework for consistent, responsible decision-making that includes land-use classifications that govern the way land is managed and used to provide good stewardship to meet the needs of the public. The current Master Plan dates back to 1959.
IRD’s Master Plan includes four key objectives: improve infrastructure and utilities, enhance existing recreation sites and amenities, expand recreational opportunities in key areas, and invest in key operational and support facilities.
Examples of specific topics discussed in the Master Plan include maintaining low density recreation opportunities on project lands and sustaining most land classifications as vegetative management lands.
The IRD community was able to provide input into the enhancements and opportunities included within the Master Plan throughout the revision process, including a town hall and public comment period in June 2019.
The Master Plan does not change the technical operations of the lake related to its primary mission of flood risk management. The revision is a part of a larger, Corps-wide effort to bring master plans up to date across the country.
The revised Master Plan contains an accompanying Environmental Assessment that assessed the potential impacts of the 2020 IRD Master Plan, resulting in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The process of revising IRD’s Master Plan and conducting an Environment Assessment was contracted to John Gallup & Associates (JG&A) with Army Corps Master Plan Revision team oversight.
The final Master Plan, previous master plans and additional information can be found on the project website: https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/IRD-Master-Plan-Revision/
About Indian Rock Dam
Indian Rock Dam is located about three miles upstream from York, Pennsylvania. The dam is a part of the Indian Rock Dam/Codorus Creek Project, which includes channel improvements on Codorus Creek. The Indian Rock Dam/Codorus Creek project has prevented an estimated $54.6 million in flood damages for the local community.
The Indian Rock Dam project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of June 22, 1936, as amended by the Flood Control Act of June 28, 1938. The normally dry reservoir area has a storage capacity of 28,000 acre-feet (9.1 billion gallons) at spillway crest and controls a drainage area of 94 square miles, equivalent to 41 percent of the watershed upstream from York. In conjunction with the Codorus Creek project, these two projects protect the York community against flood discharges about 33 percent greater than the record flood of August 1933.