| Quemahoning Reservoir | |
|---|---|
  Quemahoning Reservoir  Quemahoning Reservoir | |
| Location | Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°09′58″N78°57′43″W / 40.166°N 78.962°W |
| Primary outflows | Stonycreek River |
| Built | 1910 to 1913 |
The Quemahoning Reservoir, also known to locals as The Que, is created by the Quemahoning Dam, located on Quemahoning Creek on the border of Quemahoning Township, Conemaugh Township, and Jenner Township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania just south of Hollsopple.
The dam was built by the Manufacturers Water Company to supply water for the Cambria Iron Company's works in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Construction began in 1910 [1] [2] and was completed in 1913, creating a reservoir that is roughly five miles long and two miles wide at its widest place, which drains into the Stonycreek River and thence into the Kiski-Conemaugh system.
The reservoir reportedly covers the American Indian village of Kickenapauling's Town, which was referred to in records of Christopher Gist, as well as in the 10 June 1779 deed of Joseph Johns, after whom Johnstown was named. It is one of the largest artificial bodies of water in Pennsylvania, [3] [4] and is known as a stopover for migratory waterfowl, including geese, swans, and herons. [5]
In April 1917, a special police force was stationed at the Hickston Run and Quemahoning reservoirs as "a precaution against possible plots to cripple the great Cambria Steel Company's plant" during World War I, according to area newspapers. [6] [7]
The dam and reservoir were sold by Bethlehem Steel Corporation (successor to Cambria Iron) to the Cambria Somerset Authority in 2000, which now operates it both for recreation and industrial water supply. [8]
The original sixty-six-inch pipeline built by Manufacturers Water Company from the reservoir to Johnstown was subsequently upgraded and refurbished after the sale to the Cambria Somerset Authority. Additionally, Somerset Borough, Pennsylvania has since commenced construction of a pipeline from the reservoir to the borough to provide potable water.
Fishing, boating, camping and occasional whitewater rafting are among the recreational activities available. Upgraded release valves in 2010 substantially increased discharges from the reservoir to improve whitewater rafting on the Stonycreek River. [9]
Bethlehem Steel Corporation ran a gun club, a farm house and Bethco Pines, a recreational park for its staff. The park included boating, swimming and facilities which employed a number of people. The dissolution of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in the 1990s caused the recreation areas and reservoir to be put up for sale, and was included in the sale to a coalition of local governments.
Summer's Best Two Weeks (SB2W) operates portions of the former Bethco Pines recreational park located on a section of the Reservoir. The Camp is affiliated with SB2W on Lake Gloria which is approximately 5 miles away from the one on the Quemahoning Reservoir. Summer's Best Two Weeks is a Christian sports resident camp that hosts hundreds of campers during the summer for two week intervals.
Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties and later organized in 1807. It was named for the nation of Wales, which in Latin is known as "Cambria". The county is part of the Southwest Pennsylvania region of the state.
Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. Located 57 miles (92 km) east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Johnstown metropolitan area, which is located in Cambria County and had 133,472 residents in 2020. It is also part of the Johnstown–Somerset combined statistical area, which includes both Cambria and Somerset Counties.
Richland Township is a township in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 12,814 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Stonycreek Township is a township in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,844 at the 2010 census, down from 3,204 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Boswell is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census.
Conemaugh Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,760 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Conemaugh Township includes the towns of Jerome, Davidsville, Tire Hill, Thomas Mills, part of Holsopple, and surrounding countryside.
Quemahoning Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,838 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Johnstown Flood National Memorial is a unit of the United States National Park Service. Established in 1964 through legislation signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, it pays tribute to the thousands of victims of the Johnstown Flood, who were injured or killed on May 31, 1889 when the South Fork Dam ruptured.
The Conemaugh River is a 70-mile (110 km) tributary of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland, Indiana, and Cambria counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The name means 'Otter Creek', originating from the Unami-Lenape language word kwənəmuxkw 'otter'.
The Little Conemaugh River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 30 miles (48 km) long, in western Pennsylvania in the United States.
The Stonycreek River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 45 mi (72 km) long, in southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States.
The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a 896.5-foot (273.3 m) funicular in Johnstown, Cambria County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown, situated in a valley at the confluence of the Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh rivers, to the borough of Westmont on Yoder Hill. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane". It can carry automobiles and passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 71.9%. The travel time between stations is 90 seconds.
The South Fork Dam was an earthenwork dam forming Lake Conemaugh, an artificial body of water near South Fork, Pennsylvania, United States. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed catastrophically and 20 million tons of water from Lake Conemaugh burst through and raced 14 miles (23 km) downstream, causing the Johnstown Flood.
The Cambria Somerset Authority (CSA) was formed in 1999, in anticipation of acquiring water interests and related land properties of Manufacturers Water Company, a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Transfer of ownership occurred in August, 2000. The CSA now owns and manages 5,200 acres (21 km2) in Cambria County and Somerset County Pennsylvania, including managing recreation, conservation, open space and water supply uses of the lands and water encompassing the Wilmore Dam and Reservoir, Hinckston Run Dam and Reservoir, and South Fork Dam and impoundment, all in Cambria County; and Border Dam and impoundment, and Quemahoning Reservoir and Dam, both in Somerset County.
The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was a Pennsylvania corporation that operated an exclusive and secretive retreat at a mountain lake near South Fork, Pennsylvania. Its members were more than 50 extremely wealthy industrialists and their families. Most were based in Pittsburgh, the center of steel and related industries.
The Cambria Iron Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a major producer of iron and steel that operated independently from 1852 to 1916. The company adopted many innovations in the steelmaking process, including those of William Kelly and Henry Bessemer.
Pennsylvania Route 403 is a north–south state route in Somerset, Cambria and Indiana counties of Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in the hamlet of Kantner in Quemahoning Township. The northern terminus is at US 119 near Marion Center.
Johnstown Redevelopment Authority is an authority that oversees commercial development in the City of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
The Johnstown flood of 1977 was a major flood which began on the night of July 19, 1977, when heavy rainfall caused widespread flash flooding in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, including the city of Johnstown and the Conemaugh Valley.