Curwensville dam is an earthfill structure 2,850 feet long, rising 131 feet above the streambed, with a spillway and a gate-controlled outlet. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 119,467 acre-feet at spillway crest and extends 14 miles upstream when filled to that level. The project controls a drainage area of 365 square miles or 98 percent of the West Branch at Curwensville and 75 percent at Clearfield. The project reduces the flood heights along the West branch below the dam, and provides a lake for recreation. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania coordinates the operation of George B. Stevenson Dam with the Corps’ operation of Curwensville Dam, Alvin R. Bush Dam, and Foster Joseph Sayers Dam, in order to secure optimum flood control benefits through operation as a system. Fifty-seven percent of the conservation storage space is allocated for water supply storage. Susquehanna River Basin Commission pays the Corps for this storage on an annual basis. Payment is based on annual operation and maintenance costs. Under a Corps real estate agreement, Clearfield County operates and maintains the recreation area which includes a beach, boat launch, picnic areas, athletic fields, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, and a campground.
Location: The dam is located on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in Clearfield County, Pa. It is 13 miles southwest of Clearfield and 30 miles southeast of DuBois, Pennsylvania.
Authorization: The project is a unit of the comprehensive flood control plan for the protection of communities in the West Branch Susquehanna River Basin and was authorized by the Flood Control Act approved Sept. 3, 1954. It is described in House Document No. 29, 84th Congress, first session.
Facilities: Clearfield County operates and maintains the recreation area which includes a beach, boat launch, picnic areas, athletic fields, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, and a 43 site campground. Recreation is offered from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The boat ramps are usually open in October, depending on the lake levels. Campgrounds are NOT open during hunting season. For more information call: 1-800-326-9051, ext. 1502