US Army Corps of Engineers - Steep Gutter Replacement on Dam

The US Army Corps of Engineers had Flexamat Plus articulated concrete vegetative mats installed to protect against erosion on the steep backslope of the dam at Lake Harsha in East Fork State Park. This state park is located outside of Cincinnati, in Southwest Ohio.

East Fork Lake, also known as William H. Harsha Lake, was built in the 1970s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A partial pool was impounded in 1978, and the lake reached its normal pool of 1,971 acres in the spring of 1979. The lake is primarily used for flood control, recreation, and as a water source.

The original concrete gutter installed in the late 1970s had severely deteriorated. There were many cracks and the gutter had undermined in multiple areas from erosion. This created not only a performance issue, but a safety concern as well.

In 2020, Cornerstone Engineering, Inc. was awarded the contract to designed a new and improved gutter system. The work consisted of the removal of the existing concrete drainage ditch that ran down back side on the east side of the dam. The slope was regraded and Flexamat Plus articulated concrete vegetative mats were installed to help alleviate the erosion along the ditch line. The Flexamat armored channel discharges into the tail water at the end of the slope.