The Westtown Dam and Lake Restoration Project is Now Complete!

Princeton Hydro is proud to announce the successful completion of the Westtown Lake Dam Rehabilitation and Dredging Project at Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Westtown School is a historic Quaker college preparatory day and boarding school whose 600-acre campus is centered around Westtown Lake, a defining feature of the school community for more than a century. Originally developed from swimming and skating ponds in the 1860s and expanded into the 14.5-acre lake that exists today, the lake serves as a valuable educational, ecological, and recreational resource. From environmental science studies and wildlife observation to canoeing, community gatherings, and quiet reflection, the lake is woven into the daily life of students, faculty, and visitors.

Since 2006, Princeton Hydro has partnered with Westtown School on a variety of lake management, dam safety, and regulatory compliance initiatives. As Engineer-of-Record, Princeton Hydro led the planning, design, permitting, and construction administration efforts associated with the restoration of Westtown Lake and rehabilitation of the lake dam.

As part of its dam safety services, Princeton Hydro completed periodic visual inspections, dam breach and inundation analyses, preparation of an Emergency Action Plan (EAP), and development of an Operations and Maintenance Manual. These efforts established the foundation for a comprehensive rehabilitation strategy designed to meet modern safety standards while preserving the lake’s long-term value to the campus community.

The dam rehabilitation included the design and construction of a completely new drop spillway and outfall barrel, as well as an auxiliary cast-in-place stepped spillway capable of safely passing the 100-year flood event. To restore lake capacity and improve overall lake function, Princeton Hydro also surveyed and designed the dredging of approximately 56,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment, rehabilitation of the sediment forebay and spillway infrastructure, and enlargement of a culvert along Westtown Road immediately downstream of the dam. The culvert replacement became necessary following the closure of two secondary dam outlets and associated culverts beneath the roadway.

Given the scope and complexity of the work, the project required extensive coordination with regulatory agencies. Princeton Hydro successfully secured multiple approvals and permits, including Chester County erosion and sediment control plan approval, a Pennsylvania Dam Safety Construction Permit, PADEP General Permit 11 authorization for the roadway crossing improvements, and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Individual Permit in compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act.

Environmental stewardship and ecological restoration remained a key project objective throughout design and construction. The team successfully navigated permitting considerations associated with potential habitat for the federally and state-listed bog turtle, as well as documented populations of the state-listed red-bellied turtle, ensuring that project goals were achieved while protecting sensitive ecological resources.

Following design and permitting, Princeton Hydro provided comprehensive construction administration services throughout implementation. This included review of shop drawings, monitoring of soil compaction, inspection of concrete placement activities, collection of concrete test cylinders by ACI-certified personnel, preparation of monthly progress reports, review of payment applications and change orders, and participation in bi-weekly project coordination meetings. Flyway Excavating, the project’s contractor, worked collaboratively with Westtown School and Princeton Hydro throughout construction, helping to successfully deliver the project and achieve its engineering, environmental, and operational objectives. The project ensures that Westtown Lake will continue to serve as a vibrant educational, ecological, and recreational resource for future generations of the Westtown School community.

Click here to learn more about Princeton Hydro’s dam inspection and safety compliance services.

• Engineering
• Flood Mitigation
• Lake Restoration