Dredging plan to be developed for North Huntingdon lake

North Huntingdon’s Indian Lake Park is in need of cleaning — removing the silt building up in the lake along Clay Pike in the southern end of the township.

The North Huntingdon commissioners recently awarded an $18,500 contract to KU Resources Inc. to conduct a survey of the underwater depth of the lake, plans for dredging, permitting to conduct the project and preparing documents for contractors to submit bids on the dredging.

While the upfront engineering services cost less than $20,000, the dredging project itself could cost millions of dollars to remove the buildup of silt, Township Manager Harry Faulk said. The increase in the amount of silt in the lake is bad enough that cattails are growing in a section of the lake, Faulk said.

“It’s going to be hefty price tag,” Faulk said. “It’s a major project.”

KU Resources will use previous results of flow monitoring work at the lake and provide recommendations for lining material or an additional base before the lake is refilled, according to its contract. The plan and to draw down the water in the lake has to be submitted to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission before a permit would be issued by the commission. An erosion and sediment control plan must be submitted to the Westmoreland Conservation, KU Resources stated in the contract.

The township administration will work to secure grants in 2025 to help pay for the project, Faulk said.

The project likely could not be done until 2026.

The lake is a popular spot for fishing, and the township also has seen deterioration in the dam’s spillway below a covered bridge over the spillway.