Stewart & Tate and Riley Welding Partner With Rotary Club of York to Improve York City’s Kiwanis Lake

York City’s Kiwanis Lake has suffered several issues in recent years that have affected both water and park life quality. These issues were caused by increased pollutants from wildlife and upstream sources that were getting caught in the lake. The lake was no longer able to regulate itself because its floodgate and fountains had failed beyond repair. The park and its water were no longer conducive for visitors and aquatic life.

The Rotary Club of York has executed a 4-phase plan with its partners and donors to include the following:

1. Reduce and manage excessive wildlife populations.
2. Install aeration, sludge control, fountains, and lights.
3. Repair and improve the existing floodgate and protect it from future rain events.
4. Install Smart Lake Technology to monitor and alert water quality issues before they become uncontrollable.

Stewart & Tate and Riley Welding of Hanover donated materials and services to assist in this restoration project. Riley manufactured a coffer dam that was installed to hold back the water from the gate, while Stewart & Tate’s industrial division set up an overhead crane to lift the coffer dam into place. S&T then assisted Hydro Consulting Maintenance Services in the removal of the dam gate and cylinder.

The biggest challenge of this project was related to a protected species of herons that use the park as a nesting site. In order to not disrupt their habitats, phases of the project had to be carefully timed and executed. Work had to be postponed and, in some cases, certain features relocated so that the project could harmonize with these protected long-legged freshwater birds.