The Penn Stater Magazine

An Update on Lake Perez

August 10, 2010 at 10:29 am Tina Hay Leave a comment

In May 2009 I wrote that the folks at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center had taken to calling Lake Perez (previously known as Stone Valley Lake) “Pond Perez.” The lake had been drawn down in 2008 because of problems with the dam.

Well, a little over a year later, they’re calling it “Meadow Perez” now. The lake is pretty much dry, and—according to a recent article by Adam Smeltz ’05 at statecollege.com—it’s likely to remain that way until at least 2014. That’s not ideal, from the standpoint of the ecosystem: The lake’s disappearance gives non-native plant species a chance to take over and dramatically changes the wildlife habitat. And it obviously reduces the local opportunities for canoers and fishermen. But Penn State appears to be in a tough spot, because the dam repairs could cost as much as $3 million.

Tina Hay, editor

Entry filed under: Campus issues, University Park campus. Tags: Adam Smeltz, Lake Perez, Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, StateCollege.com, Stone Valley Lake.