Cleveland Metroparks gives update on Hinckley Lake dam rehabilitation

HINCKLEY TWP. — Hinckley Lake will be dredged this summer as part of the lake's ongoing dam rehabilitation project. The Cleveland Metroparks provided an update for the project during a community meeting at the Highland Library on Wednesday. Chief Planning and Design Officer Sean McDermott said part of the rehabilitation involved increasing the storage capacity of the lake. The lake could store water from a 100-year flood, but it could not hold the probable maximum flood. "What happens with this amount of rainfall is we get a remnant of a hurricane," he said. "We saw it happen in North Carolina where a hurricane comes up and parks on top of you. You can't really plan for it, but it's a possibility." The lake's embankment has been raised by about 4 feet on both sides, so the lake can now store the regular water level, the 100-year flood and the probable maximum flood. People who live near the lake have heard a rhythmic pulse coming from the area, McDermott said. The phenomenon is called Nappe oscillations, which means a sonic wave is created when the water falls over the spillway into the pool below. The Metroparks is working with Utah State University, since the college has a water lab, to address the issue, he said. The plan is to test three potential solutions to see what works best. Dredging the lake will be the project's focal point this summer. Project Manager Seth Keller said the area of focus is near the boathouse. "We've had issues with boaters trying to get out and use our lake," he said. "We're trying to make it better recreationally and also better the health for our lake as well because that's where all the rivers flow in and drop all their sediment." The lake will have four bays within it, which are a little deeper than the surrounding area, Keller said. "We're hoping all the material that's flowing through the rivers every year and dropping into the lake is going to capture in those areas," he said. "In the future, when we decide that we need to do some more dredging, we have an isolated area where all that material is going to be dropped." A lot of dirt had to be used to raise the earthen embankments by the spillway, so a large hole was made by the Buzzard Roost, Keller said. The hole will be filled with sediment from the lake. Dredging will take place around July through September and probably will be wrapped up in October, he said. West Drive will be closed from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. this summer because there will be large equipment in the area. The cost for the entire rehabilitation project is going to be around $12 million, McDermott said. Funding is from the Metroparks budget. "Our budget is primarily funded through property taxes," he said. "This is really your money being invested right back here, directly into Hinckley and the dam." The rehabilitation is anticipated to be finished by summer 2026. For more information on the project, visit tinyurl.com/2xb3t4t4. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.