Harmony Lake Dam: Quiet Infrastructure That Can’t Afford to Fail

Most people who live near a dam never think about it. That’s the way it should be, and keeping it that way takes sustained, disciplined engineering. Harmony Lake Dam is a Class B Intermediate Hazard earthen fill embankment with a concrete core and weir structure. Under New York State’s dam safety classification, that designation means a failure could cause damage to homes, isolate communities, or disrupt critical infrastructure downstream. When NYSDEC identified deficiencies, the dam’s owner needed a team that could address every one of them while keeping the structure in service.

Our firm’s scope covered the full lifecycle of dam safety compliance. We performed a dam safety inspection, prepared an engineering assessment, and developed rehabilitation plans to increase spillway capacity and rebuild the low-level outlet. Permitting, analysis, and design were all coordinated to meet NYSDEC requirements and bring the dam back into full regulatory standing.

A Decade of Ongoing Stewardship

Rehabilitating the dam was only the beginning. Our team developed and implemented an inspection and maintenance plan to ensure the structure’s long-term performance and has prepared and submitted annual certifications to NYSDEC every year since 2013. We also prepared an Emergency Action Plan, a requirement for all Intermediate Hazard dams in New York that outlines notification procedures and response protocols in the event of an incident.

Dam safety isn’t a one-time fix. It’s an ongoing relationship between the owner, the engineer, and the regulator. For over a decade, our team has provided that continuity, ensuring Harmony Lake Dam meets its obligations to the state and to the community it quietly protects.