RED HOUSE — Although the actual process of lowering Allegany State Park’s Red House Lake water level is impossible to detect to the casual bystander, evidence the lake level dropped this past week is obvious.

In some spots, several feet of additional shoreline have emerged and rocks traditionally covered by lake water are on dry land as the process of lowering the water level at Red House Lake officially began late last week.

As of Thursday, the lake has been lowered approximately three feet and, by early next week, it’s expected the lake will be lowered a total of about eight feet, according to Thomas Livak, park manager. It’s being lowered approximately 9 to 12 inches per day to allow work on a $6 million project on the lake’s dam and bridge.

The lake lowering process came after about a two-month delay due to a combination of factors including a delay in delivery of necessary materials and minor permitting delays, Livak said. The most recent plan was to begin lowering the lake the day after Labor Day, but weather was to blame for another brief postponement.

“Due to the extreme storm event we experienced on Labor Day, the dam spillway was already passing significant flows into Red House Brook,” Livak said. “Lowering the lake level at that time would have put unnecessary additional flow into the brook, which could have led to impacts downstream of the dam.”

The lowering process officially began Sept. 8 and, a week later, the shoreline of the lake is noticeably different. An island near the lake’s northern shore has almost become a peninsula as water continues to recede in the shallowest area near the shore. The stone pier by the southern picnic area deceivingly appears higher. The smell of mud faintly fills the air.

Livak said the amount the lake is lowered daily is commensurate with permit requirements and the best practices. It varies daily based on monitoring of lake levels and the watershed runoff entering the lake from the creeks.

The delay in the schedule — it was announced in the spring the lake lowering process would begin in early July — allowed park patrons to utilize the Red House area throughout the summer. Originally, plans were to close swimming at Red House and shift park patrons to Quaker Lake and its new bathhouse; many park events like the annual Beach Party and Rock the Park took place in the Quaker area anyway.

“The delay resulted in minimal impacts and fortunately allowed us to keep the Red House Lake open for recreational uses through the Labor Day weekend for the benefit of our patrons and concession operations,” said Livak.

He added that the lake and lake basin at Red House is now closed to the public until further notice to protect the health and safety of the public during the drawdown period.

Livak said the general timeline for the project has not changed other than allowing an additional 30 days for completion of the work in 2018, if necessary. A presentation on the project in the spring estimated the lake would be filled back up by spring 2018.

Lowering the water level of the lake allows the construction contractor, Union Concrete and Construction Corp., to access all portions of the bridge, spillway and earthen dam in order to bring the facility back into compliance with NYSDEC Dam Safety Regulations, said Livak.

“Some of the key areas that benefit from the lake lowering include the anchoring and rehabilitation of the spillway, bridge removal and replacement, and rebuild of the Red House Lake shoreline embankment north of the bridge adjacent to ASP Route 1,” he said.

In October 2015, crews began cutting trees and brush from the earthen portion of the dam. The dam and bridge was built in 1927 and the project was proceeded about two years ago with an inspection of the dam and spillway, including underwater inspection using divers with video cameras.

Construction has been underway throughout the summer above the earthen dam, which also carries ASP Route 1 around the western shore of Red House Lake. The road closed north of the bridge prior to the Fourth of July weekend.

Once lake lowering is complete, the construction process can continue in full force.

“All major aspects of the reconstruction project will be underway, including continued spillway rehabilitation, rebuilding of the lakeside embankment and bridge demolition and removal,” said Livak. “To date, certain aspects of these specific activities have proceeded within the limitations of NYSDEC permit guidelines.”

(Email managing editor Rich Place at rplacesp@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter, @placerm.)