MIDDLESEX TWP — It has been years in coming, but the day is approaching when the repair of a faulty dam will mean the imminent return of Glade Run Lake.

That day is Thursday, when a private groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the lake property off Overbrook Road.

Siggy Pehel, the president of the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, said about 60 people will attend the event.

He said the ceremony is closed to the public for safety reasons because the property is a construction site. The entire lake property will remain closed until the construction is finished.

Pehel said three state senators, the Butler County Commissioners, the township supervisors, the conservancy board members and their spouses, project engineers, and state Fish and Boat Commission representatives will attend the ground breaking.

The lake was drained in 2011 for safety reasons because the dam was deemed unsafe. Pehel and a handful of other citizens soon after the lake was drained formed the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, and began raising awareness and money to rebuild the dam.

Pehel said the work to be completed includes the removal of the current spillway and installation of a newer, larger spillway, removal of the rock surface of the dam and placing of new rock, the construction of new internal drainage mechanisms inside the earthen dam, and new facing.

“A lot of people are under the misconception that we are going to rip out the whole dam and put in a new one,” Pehel said. “We are actually using the existing dam.”

He said the construction timeline is from now until September 2016. The lake will likely be refilled in early 2017, Pehel said, although filling occurs in several stages.

A project to improve the fishing jetty for anglers who use wheelchairs is also moving forward, Pehel said.

Once engineers from HRG finalize the jetty plans, a contractor will be selected so work can get started.

“We want to get the jetty project done at the same time the dam is completed,” Pehel said, “and I don’t see a problem with that.”

Dave Fowler is a retired geologist and conservancy board member whose property abuts the lake property.

Fowler said several fish habitat projects are ongoing and will continue after the popular sport-fishing lake is filled.

He said more than 600 ton of stone has been hauled in and deposited in the lake for fish habitat, as have 24 catfish spawning boxes built by members of the Mars High School student council.

Major structures known as “rock stars” are also planned for the lake. Fowler said the rock stars will provide the lake’s sport fish and their prey with hiding and feeding places.

Another feature that will provide cover for the sport fish and minnows and crawfish they feed on are the 60 rock rubble humps that will be placed in various locations in the lake.

Fowler said much of the rock rubble will come from the old stone being removed from the dam facing and the removal of the old spillway.

Once the lake is filled, Fowler said, 1,400 feet of channels will be dug into the eastern part of the lake bottom to make the lake deeper.

“That will really increase the area gamefish can use,” Fowler said.

The dirt from the dredging project will be used to build islands that will provide a habitat for amphibians and birds.

“We’re spending well over $100,000 on the habitat work we’re performing in conjunction with the Fish and Boat Commission,” Fowler said.

He said some of the funds will come from the conservancy, and some from the Fish and Boat Commission. He said so far, about $40,000 has been spent on the habitat project for materials, permitting and engineering fees.

“As far as the fish population goes, this lake will be improved dramatically with all the work we’re going to perform on it,” Fowler said.

When work on the dam is finished, conservancy members will plant a number of native flowering plants to improve pollination in the area.

Fowler said the conservancy regrets that safety concerns will prevent the groundbreaking from being a public event, but a much larger gathering that includes all the lake’s supporters will be held once construction is over.

“Without the community and all the support they’ve shown us, none of this could have ever been done,” Fowler said.

The cost of the construction project is estimated at $3 million, which is down from the $4.3 million originally predicted.

Then-Gov. Tom Corbett pledged $2 million from the state budget for the dam-repair project, and the Fish and Boat Commission was able to lower its pledge of $2 million to $1 million because bids came in less than the predicted amount.

The conservancy, which had pledged its entire $300,000 in donations to the construction project, is now able to use its bankroll for lake improvement projects like the new jetty and fish and wildlife habitats.

Pehel said the conservancy raised $175,000 in donations from members and businesses, $110,000 from the county commissioners, and $30,000 from Middlesex Township. The remainder of the more than $300,000 total raised came from various grants.