KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Rose Valley Lake, which is set to be drained to repair the aging earthen dam.

The drawdown of Rose Valley Lake, a 389-acre impoundment and a popular freshwater fishing and boating destination in Lycoming County, has been pushed back likely until the fall of 2026.

Formerly set for the spring, it is being delayed due to a delay in the construction permit process, according to Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission officials.

Agency spokesman Michael Parker said a key component of the overall project is now in the permitting phase with D’appalonia Engineering, the design professional.

It involves “the construction of a new reinforced concrete auxiliary spillway and improvements to the earthen embankment and internal drainage system.”

“There is not a permitting issue, we have just not received the permit yet,” Parker said.

Before the lake’s aging earthen dam on Mill Creek undergoes much-needed repairs, the commission is required to first go through the permitting process with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The drawdown and repair of the dam is expected to cost $5 million and to take about five years.

“Five years is a pretty standard time for us,” Geoff Smith, Warm Water Unit leader, said.

Jason Detar, Area 3 Fisheries Manager, reported to the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited that the project should result in improving the lake’s aquatic habitat.

“The lake is not up to standards,” he said.

Drawdowns of lakes are often deemed necessary for reasons that can include enhancing habitat, improving water quality, or for making maintenance and infrastructure repairs.

“The lake should come back better than ever,” Smith said. “It’s a good lake to begin with.”

Rose Valley holds various species of fish including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, bluegill, sunfish, chain pickerel, and muskellunge.

In the meantime, restrictions on harvesting of fish by anglers at Rose Valley will remain lifted.

At some point, Hunters Lake, a 17-acre impoundment in Sullivan County which is stocked by the state with trout, will likely undergo a drawdown process, according to Fish & Boat officials.