Boating Restrictions Lifted at Raystown Lake Dam, Following Inspections for Upcoming Rehabilitation Work

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District
Published Oct. 6, 2022
Updated: Oct. 6, 2022
Floating work plant on water fpr inspections.

Figure 1 - The floating work plant was used as a staging platform for the construction divers to perform tunnel inspections.

Floating work plant on water performing inspections.

Figure 2- The floating work plant was used as a staging platform for the construction divers to perform tunnel inspections.

The area of Raystown Lake downstream of Mile Marker 1 has reopened to all boat traffic following critical inspections as part of major infrastructure rehabilitation project and the completion of the first phase of construction work on portions of the Raystown Dam’s mechanical equipment.

This work is being done as part of an extensive, multi-year rehabilitation project to upgrade the nearly 50-year-old operational equipment that has been in place since the Dam’s construction in the early 1970s.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received approximately $27 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to complete the tower and tunnel work along with $4.5 million in funding for the downstream sediment removal bank armoring.

On September 12, 2022, Raystown Dam, and the area downstream of Mile Marker 1 was closed to all boat traffic to allow construction workers to safely perform inspections of low-water control tunnel intake gates, which rest approximately 200 feet below the surface of the lake. Work crews removed trash racks and installed bulkheads to allow for inspection of areas that have been closed off to human view for the past 50 years. The purpose of these inspections will determine what type of repairs may be needed.

In addition to the tunnel repairs, work is currently being done on the spillway tainter gates. The rehabilitation project will conclude with the clearing of obstructions in the downstream river channel expected to begin in 2024.

For more information on Raystown Lake, please visit https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Missions/DamsRecreation/Raystown.aspx

or call (814) 658-3405.  


Contact
Allen Gwinn
814-658-6810
allen.gwinn@usace.army.mil

Release no. 22-028