DEP-Ordered Dam Breach Will Eliminate This Local Lake

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Image via SAVVY Main Line.

Earle’s Lake in Newtown Square and part of the dam that supports it might soon be gone, writes Caroline O’Halloran for SAVVY Main Line.

If nothing changes, a Pennsylvania DEP-ordered partial dam breach by the end of October would drain the five-acre lake toward Radnor homes into the Darby Creek watershed.

The dam, failing for years, is deemed a “High Hazard” by the state.

George Earle III, the 30th governor of Pennsylvania, created Earle’s Lake 110 years ago for community recreation.

In 1967, the family sold land around the lake to developers. Homes and condos have sprouted up, including the 212-condo Greene Countrie Village.

The dam was damaged in 2012 by Hurricane Irene.

The DEP has ordered GCV to repair or breach the dam, costing $800,000 to $1 million.

GVC homeowners voted in 2017 to breach the dam.

“All this water is bringing sediment and debris, and the shoreline is eroding,” said homeowner Ashley Wilson. “The dam breach is not just a Radnor Township issue. It’s a Bryn Mawr issue. It’s a Bala Cynwyd issue.”

Read more about Earle’s Lake and the complexities of a dam breach at SAVVY Main Line here.

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