Dec 19, 2023 By Melissa Gibson 3 min read

Growing up, Ken Krugh spent weekends and summers out at Canonsburg Lake, enjoying the day on the water, fishing, hunting, kayaking and soaking in the sunshine.

Unfortunately, years of sediment have built up, waste has been discarded in the area, and the picture he remembers is slowly fading.

“About 20 years ago, a group of residents started working on cleaning up and restoring the lake. That sort of died off and five years ago, we revitalized that group, applied for (nonprofit status) and received a grant to help get this going again,” Krugh said.

The Canonsburg Lake Restoration and Improvement Association was created, and members hope to bring the lake to its former glory through community cleanups and by working with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

In order to save the lake, it needs to be dredged by the commission, and after years of volunteer clean-ups, trail improvements and other work, Krugh has been told the dredging to remove sediment and waste from the lake will take place in 2024.

“When you go across the bridge, the depth is terrible. We need about 400,000 cubic yards of sediment to come out of there and of course, the plan is to have yearly maintenance like other state lakes in the area,” Krugh said.

The process will be slow, so as to not disturb the wildlife and existing ecosystem.

Despite its current condition, many are impressed by the species found at Canonsburg Lake.

“A mottled duck was spotted, and it’s rare for this area. Once the word got out, we had hundreds of people coming to see this duck that ended up making Canonsburg Lake his home. Not only do we have the eagle’s nests, I’ve been told there’s 200 to 300 different species of birds who stop by during migration,” Krugh said.

In recent years, they’ve held fishing derbies and kayak trips, inviting the community to enjoy the beauty of the lake. Students are making benches, bird boxes and bat boxes for the nonprofit.

Still, volunteers are needed to see the project over the finish line.

“We need people making phone calls, doing mailings and even lake cleanups,” Krugh said. “As a nonprofit, we can offer community service hours to the students at the local schools and a lot of this is research; simply looking up different ways we can improve the lake.”

Future plans include improving existing trails and perhaps adding new ones.

Krugh’s dream is to protect the wildlife and rare species in the area and for more families to experience what he did in his youth.

“Over the past 20 years, so many people have been involved in making this a reality. It’s been a big group effort,” Krugh said. “Years ago, it was my heaven; you can get lost the entire day. So many new residents don’t even know it’s here and we want to change that.”

To donate or for more information, visit https://savecanonsburglake.org.