By Tricia Pursell
The Daily Item
FOREST HILL —
A popular swimming spot for Valley and out-of-town vacationers will be reduced in size Tuesday as R.B. Winter State Park staff lower Halfway Lake’s water level and rebuild its beach.
Rain-driven sand that has washed into the man-made, six-acre lake will be returned to the beach, said Lori Goodling, administration assistant at the park.
The project is undertaken every couple of years at the lake, created by a dam on the waters of two streams — Rapid Run and Halfway Run in the Bald Eagle State Forest, said Goodling said.
By removing two to three logs in a confined space at the dam, the lake level will drop.
“Just enough to recede out to the edge of the swimming area, so the fish aren’t affected,” Goodling said.
The lower water level allows maintenance workers on the beach to use a front-end loader to recover sand from the lake.
They will basically “scoop it back onto the beach,” Goodling said.
For the two dozen swimmers and sunbathers before noon on Wednesday, the shrinking beach was still perfect.
A family of four from New York City was enjoying the last day of a three-day vacation at the park. The Chans learned of R.B. Winter during an online search for a cabin site in Pennsylvania.
The prices were reasonable, so their decision was easy.
“We love it here,” said Roger Chan, who spent the morning fishing at the lake with his wife, Rhea, and children, Katie and Kevin, ages 5 and 6. “The kids had a great time. They were on the beach, playing in the water. They loved it.”
For others, returning to the lake is a family tradition.
“I came here as a little girl,” said Wendy Snyder, of Richfield. She and her relatives would get up early to drive to the park so they were assured of getting a specific bench in the sun and one that allowed them to see the whole beach.
“We would make sand castles, play in the water, catch the fish,” Snyder said.
On Wednesday, she was enjoying the beach with her son, sisters-in-law and their children.
The destination takes the place of an ocean-side experience, said her sister-in-law, Shari Sheaffer, also of Richfield.
“This is the closest, if you want to go for sand and water,” she said.
Kenneth Snyder was visiting Halfway Lake with his daughter, Brenda. Formerly of Clinton County and now of Milton, Snyder said, “I’ve been coming here for decades.”
They would come to the park for family picnics, and eventually fell in love with the camping experience, particularly staying in a cabin. Next month, his son, Richard, will be married and is planning to stay in one of the cabins for his honeymoon.
The drawdown of the water level is expected to last no later than Oct. 15, in time for the fall trout stocking of Oct. 18, according to a news release from Park Manager Bob Deffner.
Once the beach reclamation is completed, the lake will be re-filled, and once it reaches its normal pool, anglers may fish in the lake according to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regulations.
Swimming will resume May 2011.
-- E-mail comments to tpursell@dailyitem.com
