TUSCARORA - Recent rains dampened efforts to lower the water level in Tuscarora Lake.
"We were hoping to draw down the lake 8 to 10 feet but it's been tough with the way the weather's been. Since Oct. 16, it's gone down maybe 3 1/2 feet," Lewis Williams, park manager, said Thursday.
And more rain is on the way.
The park management wants to shovel back onto the beach that slides down into the lake bottom. It is a regular maintenance job done every few years.
Today, park workers will use a track loader to scoop sand from the bottom of the lake and dump it back onto the beach.
"It will be a one-day operation. We'll do what we can. After Saturday, it looks like from there on it's going to be impossible with the weather," Williams said.
According to the National Weather Service, State College, the weather the next few days is going to be wet.
On Saturday, there's a 20 percent chance of precipitation in the daytime and 40 percent at night. On Sunday, there's a 60 percent chance of precipitation during the day and 60 percent at night. There will be rain Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the NWS website at http://forecast.weather.gov.
The last time park management did a drawdown was 2008. It is done on an as-needed basis and it's not an expensive project, Williams said.
On Oct. 16, the staff at Tuscarora State Park turned valves at Locust Creek Dam, allowing more water from the lake to rush into Locust Creek. The goal was to lower the lake 8 to 10 feet, Williams said.
But recent rains have kept the lake as full as it was on Oct. 16, Williams said.