Dredging Up Enthusiasm
Major dredging undertaking is planned to be a turning point for Buckeye Lake
Plans for the revitalization of Buckeye Lake center on the replacement of its dam, but a hugely important component of those plans is the ongoing dredging project.
That project will deepen the lake at key points while widening channels, improving access to a number of lakeside businesses and, officials hope, bringing life back to the area.
After a temporary delay back in the spring due to a lack of space for deposit of dredged material, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has been dredging continuously. There are about 11 weeks left in the season for ODNR to dredge.
Water levels were lowered to winter pool for safety purposes after the Army Corps of Engineers announced, in March, that the lake’s dam was in danger of failing. The goal is to add another 3 feet of depth in the dredged areas, which will mean even greater depth than usual once the lake is restored to “summer pool” levels. Those levels usually average 5 feet; if all goes to plan, that average will jump to 8 feet.
“We are keeping two dredges operating on Buckeye Lake as many hours per day as we can,” says Bethany McCorkle, communications director for ODNR. “We’ll continue to dredge the main arteries, around the island homes and, finally, to all the businesses on the water that we can get to with the current water levels.”
Though a sizable portion of the lake will hover close to average range, a section of deeper water in the middle will range from 6 feet to almost 15 feet in depth.
Beyond that, targeted dredging will be used as an attempt to boost lakeside businesses.
“The next stage is to finish up the dredging to Buckeye Lake Winery and to the marinas so that there’s access to a number of the waterfront businesses,” says state Sen. Jay Hottinger of Newark, legislative liaison to ODNR on the dam project.
A shallower lake with more restrictions means fewer customers for local businesses – a frightening prospect for their owners and, in general, for the economy of the Buckeye Lake region. The end goal is to minimize pain now and have an even better lake, with even better draws for visitors, Hottinger says.
“The goal here is to take this bad experience that everybody is enduring for a time period – hopefully, a short time period – and turn it into an opportunity to restore Buckeye Lake and revitalize it,” he says. “Once the businesses survive this, once the lake work is done and finished, they’re going to thrive.”
Longer-term, increasing the depth of Buckeye Lake will play a key role in its rehabilitation, Hottinger says. It will be deeper than it was even before ODNR called for the decrease in depth, and the deeper, wider channels will make for a more navigable lake. The additional depth will make for safer boating as well as a more environmentally friendly body of water, Hottinger says.
“Aesthetically, of course, it looks better, too,” he says. “Deeper lakes are healthier lakes, by and large.”
Once the state finishes dredging the channel from the Lieb’s Island boat ramp, it will set up a designated speed zone in the deeper areas. Most of the rest of the lake is a “no-wake” zone.
“Additional dredging will provide access to the speed zone from the Millersport area marinas and to deeper water from other areas,” Hottinger says.
The state’s plan to fix the dam incorporates a soil-mixing process, which combines soil with a bonding agent such as concrete through use of tilling equipment. The method hardens the soil and builds an underground wall to serve as a seepage barrier, says Steve Berezansky, chief of projects for ODNR.
The state will also build an embankment stability berm in submerged areas around the dam.
“This technology … has successfully been used on dams and levees around the world,” says Berezansky, citing projects in Sacramento, Okeechobee and post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
ODNR has contracted with Westerville-based engineering firm Gannett Fleming for the dam work, and the Army Corps of Engineers has signed off on the plan, which will expedite the process and allow work to start this fall.
“Collectively, (these steps) really paint the picture of how fast we’re moving here,” Hottinger says.
The official timeline for the state’s work, as initially stated in the spring, was three to five years until completion. But since the state announced the repair plan, there are strong signs that the timetable will be accelerated.
ODNR estimates the date of completion for this phase of the work as March 2017, though Hottinger stresses the number is not set in stone.
“The last thing we want to do is raise hopes and expectations too high, and then not be able to deliver,” he says.
Still, Hottinger notes that the project is moving forward every day, shaving off more and more time. He also expects the water level to be raised even before the work is finished.
“That, along with the dredging, makes a very significant impact in the short term and the long time,” he says.
A total of $29 million in up-front seed money is paying for the dredging as well as other endeavors, such as incentivizing contractors to expedite the construction process, Hottinger says. The state has adjusted the overall budget of the project down from $150 million to $80-$100 million.
Dredging Up Enthusiasm
Changes in Trends
One person who’s kept a close eye on community attitudes as announcements have been made and dam work has begun is real estate agent Marnita Swickard, who has been selling in Buckeye Lake for 22 years.
“It was a very rough April,” Swickard says. “From March 19 through April 30, when ODNR first announced the plans to keep the lake at winter pool, we lost about $2.4 million in sales.”
But Swickard has seen reason for optimism. In late July, her office closed on a waterfront lot in Heron Bay for $260,000 in a multiple-offer situation, and a new construction project in Heron Bay has commenced. She’s also been seeing offers in the $300,000-$500,000 range, with buyers eyeing low interest rates and sellers less anxious than they were in the spring.
She’s currently in contract for four waterfront home closings, and two closed in August for a total of six. Sales have picked up since Kasich’s July press conference.
“I think a lot of people know that this is not a permanent situation,” Swickard says. “There’s a lot of talk about making this a better Buckeye Lake than it was in the past.”
Potential buyers are also putting things into perspective, she says, noting that Ohio lakes have overcome difficulties in the past, including Buckeye Lake itself.
Marty Finta – developer of Snug Harbor, a resort-style waterfront development that has been in the works since 2009 – expects property values to increase markedly once all of ODNR’s work is finished.
Snug Harbor Amenities
Meanwhile, other efforts are being made to improve the appeal of the lake and surrounding community in advance of the projected completion of the dam.
Construction is expected to begin this fall on amenities at Snug Harbor. Among those amenities are a swimming pool, a basketball court, an open-air pavilion, cabanas, an outdoor spa, fountains and a splash pad.
“The pool will be as close to the lake as possible to give vistas of the pool and the lake,” Finta says. “Same with the spa.”
Walking trails along Buckeye Creek, which feeds into Buckeye Lake, are also on the agenda.
“We’re creating a water experience in many different ways,” says Finta.
The idea is to have things in place as quickly as possible to keep the lake appealing even as work on the dam and other projects continues.
The state’s work to overcome the dam’s problems and improve the lake in the process has been highly encouraging, Finta says, serving as proof that redoubling efforts to finish the amenities is a good decision.
“The state of Ohio is bringing life back to Buckeye Lake,” he says.
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
