Aug 13, 2015 2 min read

The reservoir of the No. 4 Dam in North Franklin Township has been a valuable community resource for several generations. It was once a source of public drinking water, and it is always popular among fishermen. It is a refuge and food source for water foul such as Canada geese, swans and ducks.

The roughly 1,000-acre property that includes both the No. 4 and nearby No. 3 dams is now owned by Consol Energy, which plans to spend $8.4 million to rebuild the spillways. The company uses water from the reservoirs for hydraulic fracturing in its gas wells.

In improving access to No. 4 Dam for water-hauling trucks, the company also made it easier for the public to reach the water’s edge. On these warm summer afternoons and evenings, it is not unusual to see swimmers bobbing in the lake on inner tubes and sunbathing on the concrete overflow structure. More disconcerting is the sight of vehicles driving and parking on the crest of the dam.

We fear traffic may compromise the structure of the dam, already deemed in need of remediation. And it’s only a matter of time before swimming without restriction or supervision results in injury, or worse.

It is hoped the reservoir will someday be a truly public resource where fishing, boating and even swimming might occur safely and under rules.

Consol has the property surrounding the reservoir up for sale. It may be naive of us to conceive this idea, but isn’t this the ideal time for the property to become a township or Washington County park?

That’s an expensive proposition, but consider a possible alternative: a lake drained – as Duke Lake at Ryerson Park was – because of a damaged dam, lost to wildlife and to us forever.