NARROWSBURG, NY — Dump trucks, gravel piles and a rumbly water pump have appeared in Narrowsburg as work begins on the Little Lake Erie culvert project. 

The bridge at the base of Little Lake Erie runs over a culvert that serves as a spillway for the Little Lake Erie dam. The Department of Environmental Conservation lists it as a low-hazard dam, meaning there would be a low level of downstream damage if it failed. 

The culvert has needed repair for some time. Funds for its repair were first allocated in January 2017. Tusten Town Board member Jane Luchsinger announced in March that she would attend a pre-construction meeting for the project at the end of the month. 

A generator next to Little Lake Erie began draining the lake early on April 24 in order to reroute a water main. 

“The heavy rains of the weekend of April 22 to 23 filled the pond back up… We have been informed by the project’s engineer that the pumping (and, unfortunately, the noise) will probably continue for the rest of this week,” explains a notice handed out to residents on the lake shore by the Tusten Town Board. The lake will need to be lowered again, as a sewer line needs to be moved and a sandbag dam needs to be constructed.

A temporary bridge will be installed in the first part of May, and a precast replacement for the culvert is expected to arrive in July.

“We appreciate your patience and understanding as this project moves forward,” reads the notice. “The repair and replacement of the Little Lake Erie Culvert has been long anticipated and long delayed.”

The work is being done by Rutledge Excavating, based in Tyler Hill, PA.