YORK COUNTY, Pa. — It’s a welcome sight in York County—water in Lake Williams once again.
“There’s a lot of expectation and anticipation," said J.T. Hand, president and CEO of The York Water Company.
For two years, the lake has been dry, as The York Water Company completed $40 million worth of improvements to its dam.
“The Lake Williams reservoir is all about redundancy, it’s about reliability and it’s about sustainability of the infrastructure to provide water to our 202,000 people," said Hand.
The original dam was more than a century old and needed to be brought up to current regulations and design safety standards.
“The conditions that existed in 1912 when the dam was constructed have changed so we had bring up to date the regulations and construction for this reservoir," said Hand.
The refilling process started earlier this month and includes continuous monitoring and safety inspections as the water level rises. It will take at least four months to complete.
“We need Mother Nature to bring the precipitation, gradually, not all at once," explained Hand. "If she would deliver about an inch a week, that would be perfect.”
The York Water Company, in partnership with York College, is also putting in place something called Turtle Island. It's an elevated part of the lake which will give turtles and other aquatic wildlife their very own home at Lake Williams.
“This is going to be a wonderful spot for the turtles, and there’s a very large population of turtles in this county, to migrate in, nest and bask here on Turtle Island," said Hand.
The hope is to have boaters and kayakers back on the water by Memorial Day.
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