County Looking Into Forming Park At North Fork Dam

Potter County officials want to establish a park at the North Fork Dam in the county’s northeastern corner, near Harrison Valley, but only if they can qualify for a state grant to cover much of the cost. Several ideas are under discussion to capitalize on the recreational potential of the reservoir and surrounding property. The commissioners recently approved a resolution to seek funds from the Pa. Dept. of Natural Resources.

Plans for a park were drawn up by a consultant almost a decade ago. However, a funding plan had not been established, so the project was placed on hold while county officials continued to address structural and maintenance issues at the dam. Potter County owns the property around the dam, which was built for flood protection downstream in the Cowanesque River valley and beyond. North Fork Dam is a homogeneous earthfill dam, 622 feet long and 58 feet high. A video tour of the dam is available online here.