MIDDLESEX TWP — The $3 million project to repair the dam and spillway at Glade Run Lake is more than 45 percent done, and plans to enhance other areas of the property also are under way.

“At this stage, they're looking at the end of September or beginning of October for having (the dam and spillway repair) wrapped up,” said Siggy Pehel, president of the Glade Run Lake Conservancy.

He said workers for contractor KC Construction of Bucks County have not found any significant unexpected expenses, and only ran into a few days when poor weather prevented them from working at the property off Overbrook Road.

Pehel said the conservancy also has contracted with KC Construction to dig a number of channels in the shallow end of the 52-acre lake for fish habitats. The channels will be 1,500 feet long, 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep.

The dirt from those channels will be used to create an island to be a habitat for turtles and osprey.

Pehel now is working to get bids for a walkway and dock to be off the existing jetty. Pehel said the $100,000 project will include a 15-foot walkway from the jetty to a new 16-foot by 32-foot dock.

The walkway will be eight feet wide, and all structures will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Pehel said special composite deck board to handle constant moisture will be used, and aluminum railings will be added.

“There's a lot of engineering that goes into it,” Pehel said. “We'll have a final product that will be ADA compliant and long-lasting.”

He said the existing jetty will be resurfaced, and a short walkway from the parking lot to the jetty will be added.

The funds raised by the conservancy will be used to complete the habitat and dock projects. He said more than $250,000 was raised by the conservancy through memberships, fundraisers, a $110,000 donation from the county commissioners, $30,000 from Middlesex Township and other bequests.

“We're taking our money and throwing it back into the lake,” Pehel said.

Work also is ongoing on the 150-acre property's walking/nature trail, and conservancy members are planning a flower bed at the entrance to the lake, Pehel said.

While there was talk of having bathrooms and a pavilion, Pehel said the conservancy now is considering keeping the lake as natural as possible.

“A pavilion and lavatories are still on the table, but not as actively talked about,” he said.

Three conservancy board members, Dave Fowler, Susan Salter and Becky Miller, will travel to State College in May for a conference on land conservation.

Miller explained that the conservancy is interested in possibly buying land adjacent to the lake, or at least preventing development from occurring there to protect the watershed.

“We have some interest in potentially increasing the green space at the lake,” Miller said.

She said she and her fellow board members hope to learn from those at the conference who already have formed land trusts or conservation organizations.

The board began considering such an idea more than one year ago, when property adjacent to the lake was for sale.

“That's what made us start thinking that this would be good stewardship for the lake area,” Miller said.

The lake was drained in 2011 by the state Fish and Boat Commission because its dam was deemed a hazard to properties downstream. The Glade Run Lake Conservancy raised funds and lobbied politicians to get the funding needed to have the dam repaired.

When the lake was drained, the cost to repair the dam was estimated at $4.3 million. But because construction bids came in significantly under that amount, the cost to repair the dam now will be about $3 million.

The Fish and Boat Commission's gas tax funds, plus money released in former Gov. Tom Corbett's last budget, will pay for the dam repairs.

The lake likely will be refilled in early 2017, occurring in several stages.