Weeks after the demolition of the Elizabeth dam began, water levels remain low in Monongahela River
ELIZABETH, Pa. (KDKA) -- We've heard complaints from people along the Monongahela River saying their water levels have dropped a lot recently.
Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began demolishing this dam in Elizabeth.
That was just the first step.
As construction continues, Steve Fritz and the team he oversees are now expediting part of the project -- for the commercial industry.
"We've prioritized the removal of a section of the dam so we can get commercial navigation through there sooner," Fritz, the mega-project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh Division, said.
That target for "sooner" is August 28th. The rest of the project is on track for completion towards the end of this year.
Down the Monongahela in Bunola, some people have expressed grievances over what they see as dropping water levels since the blast.
Fritz says the Army Corps of Engineers expected about a two-foot drop – and that it's been on par with that expectation, but there's more to it.
"Depending on where you are on the river, you may see ten or 15 feet of more horizontal shoreline -- but it's still a two-foot drop in the river," Fritz said.
He said they're going to continue their outreach to inform the public -- something they were doing before the project started.
"We're going to be meeting with a couple of the marinas upstream of Lock and Dam No. 3 to explain what the process is for them to get their facilities adjusted to be compatible with the new river elevations," Fritz said.
He said the river will drop another foot before that level becomes fixed, adding that the project will be a net good for the area.
"Once this dam is removed, navigation has 30 miles of open river – and that produces about 200 million dollars of annual benefits to our region and our nation," Fritz said.
