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King’s football opens Thursday, aiming for a breakthrough year

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Happy birthday Cara Elizabeth Wardell!

<p>SWEET VALLEY &#8212; Harris Pond will continue to exist.</p><p>The heavily used Luzerne County fishing spot, which is located in Sweet Valley and owned by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, had its water level reduced by 2 feet on Aug. 21 after the discovery of a sinkhole on the dam breast. The sinkhole was found during a routine inspection and the water level of the 30-acre impoundment was lowered to relieve pressure on the dam, which is a concrete and earthen structure.</p><p>On Wednesday, PFBC spokesman Eric Levis said subsequent excavation work on the dam showed the sinkhole was above the normal pool elevation for the pond, meaning repairs aren&#8217;t necessary and the dam won&#8217;t need to be replaced &#8212; for now.</p><p>Levis said the excavation area on the dam was back-filled with clay and the state Department of Environmental Protection will allow the lake to be refilled.</p><p>There was a concern about the sinkhole compromising the integrity of the dam, which is considered a &#8220;high-hazard&#8221; structure, meaning there is the potential for loss of life or property if an uncontrolled breach were to occur.</p><p>The PFBC will continue to monitor the dam, and Harris Pond remains open to fishing.</p><p>That&#8217;s good news for anglers, said Walt Dietz, the PFBC&#8217;s regional outreach and education coordinator for the northeast and southeast.</p><p>&#8220;Harris Pond is a popular spot in Luzerne County. It&#8217;s good for bass anglers and we see a lot of families fishing from the shoreline for panfish,&#8221; Dietz said. &#8220;We did receive a few concerns about it when the water was being drawn down.&#8221;</p><p>Still, there is another issue plaguing the pond that the PFBC is struggling to fix.</p><p>Aquatic weed growth has made it difficult to fish and tough for boaters to maneuver through the water. The agency used to control the weed growth with grass carp, which feeds on submerged aquatic plants.</p><p>A fish kill during the winter of 2014-15 wiped out the grass carp, and the PFBC doesn&#8217;t have the money to purchase more to be stocked, Dietz said. The PFBC relies on the sales of fishing licenses for much of its revenue. License fees have remained stagnant since 2005 and any price increase can only be approved by the state Legislature.</p><p>Approximately 400 grass carp are needed to control the weed growth in Harris Pond, Dietz said, and the fish would cost $5,000 or more.</p><p>Agency policy prohibits the use of chemicals to limit weed growth, Dietz added, and drawing down the water level in the winter to kill off weeds isn&#8217;t feasible because Harris Pond is too shallow and fish would die as well.</p><p>&#8220;Dredging to make the lake deeper would cost millions of dollars, so that&#8217;s not an option either,&#8221; noted Dietz. &#8220;The only viable solution is grass carp, and right now the agency doesn&#8217;t have the money.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Mountain Springs dam work</strong></p><p>Meanwhile, demolition of the concrete dam that formed Mountain Springs Lake in Ross Township has begun, Dietz said. The PFBC drained the lake in 2012 after issues were found with the 100-year old dam. The 40-acre property is closed while work is ongoing, and the project is expected to be finished in October.</p><p>Dietz said a fish salvage operation wasn&#8217;t necessary for the site because the wild brook trout and chain pickerel that inhabited the lake will move downstream into Bowman&#8217;s Creek. Other species &#8212; such as panfish &#8212; will move into the Susquehanna River where suitable habitat exists, according to Dietz.</p><p>There will also be work done to address acidity problems with the water in Bowman&#8217;s Creek to make it more conducive for trout.</p><p>&#8220;We will work with the Luzerne Conservation District and Trout Unlimited to install plantings along the stream and put down limestone to help with the acidity,&#8221; Dietz said. &#8220;The area behind the dam will be allowed to revert to a flowing stream for wild brook trout.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_boat-logo-jpg-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_boat-logo-jpg-3.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL083117HarrisPond1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">This is a view of Harris Pond in Sweet Valley. The state will not be draining the pond, despite the recent discovery of a sinkhole on the dam breast. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL083117HarrisPond1-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>This is a view of Harris Pond in Sweet Valley. The state will not be draining the pond, despite the recent discovery of a sinkhole on the dam breast. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL083117HarrisPond2-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A truck crosses the Harris Pond dam on Main Road in Sweet Valley on Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL083117HarrisPond2-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>A truck crosses the Harris Pond dam on Main Road in Sweet Valley on Wednesday. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL083117HarrisPond3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A measuring guage to check the water level in the Harris Pond in Sweet Valley. 8/30/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL083117HarrisPond3-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>A measuring guage to check the water level in the Harris Pond in Sweet Valley. 8/30/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>MORE ON HARRIS POND</strong></p><p>&#8226; Dam was constructed in 1922; acquired by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in 1966.</p><p>&#8226; Encompasses 30 acres on Roaring Brook Creek.</p><p>&#8226; Has a maximum depth of 10 feet and an average depth of 4-6 feet.</p><p>&#8226; Managed under Big Bass regulations, which allow anglers to keep up to four bass a day of at least 15 inches from Jan. 1 through April 14, and from June 17 through Dec. 31. Anglers must practice catch and release between April 15 and June 16.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Harris Pond in Sweet Valley being re-filled after dam checks out OK