Photos: York Water Co., celebrates completion of Lake Williams dam project

Lake Williams was drained starting summer 2018 in order to replace its dam valves that dated back to the early 1900s. Recreational access has been restricted during the process.

View of Lake Williams from the Water Street Bridge on Wednesday, June 26. According to JT Hand of the York Water Co., the lake is expected to be refilled by the end of 2020. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

A view from behind the Lake Williams dam. The lake was drained beginning in summer 2018. On Wednesday, June 26, 2019 members of York Water Company and Kinsley Construction celebrated the completion of the York Williams dam project. Once concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Kinsley Construction crews pour concrete over a pipeline connecting the Lake Williams dam valves. Once the concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

York Water Company COO JT Hand discusses the Lake Williams project and shares photos from 1911 when construction on the dam began.

Left to right: York Water Co., president Jeff Hines, VP of engineering Mark Snyder, and operations manager Marty Strine turned out at the lake on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.

This is a view of the Lake Williams dam on Wednesday, June 2019. The lake was drained beginning in summer 2018 in order to replace dam valves that dated back to the early 1900s. Once crews finishing pouring concrete Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

These are the Lake Williams dam valves. The lake was drained beginning in summer 2018 in order to replace dam valves that dated back to the early 1900s. Once crews finishing pouring concrete Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

This is the mouth of the Lake Williams dam pipeline. On Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Kinsley Construction poured concrete over a pipeline connecting the Lake Williams dam valves. Once the concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

On Wednesday, Kinsley Construction crews pour concrete over a pipeline connecting the Lake Williams dam valves. Once the concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

Thee Water Street bridge has been closed since the work began. On Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Kinsley Construction crews poured concrete over a pipeline connecting the Lake Williams dam valves. Once the concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

York Water Co., COO JT Hand discusses the Lake Williams dam project on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.

A Kinsley Construction crew pours concrete over a pipeline connecting the valves at Lake Williams dam on Wednesday. Once concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled after being drained since last fall to allow for work on the dam.

Lake Williams has been drained since last fall, so crews could work on its dam. Final concrete is being poured, and then the lake will be allowed to refill naturally and eventually reopened for recreational use. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

York Water Company VP of engineering Mark Snyder discusses the Lake Williams Project on the Water Street Bridge.

This is the mouth of Lake Williams dam pipeline. On Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Kinsley Construction crews pour concrete over a pipeline connecting the dam valves. Once the concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Kinsley Construction crews pour concrete over a pipeline connecting the Lake Williams dam valves. Once the concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2019 members Kinsley Construction pour concrete over a pipeline connecting the Lake Williams dam valves. Once the concrete is poured, Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York Townships.

York Water Company COO JT Hand shares photos from the early 1900s when the dam was originally built with members of Kinsley Construction. Hand was on site for the completion of Lake Williams project on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Lake Williams was drained beginning in summer 2018 in order to replace dam valves that dated back to the early 1900s. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

This is a view of Lake Williams on Wednesday, June 2019. The lake was drained beginning in summer 2018 in order to replace dam valves that dated back to the early 1900s. Once crews finishing pouring concrete Lake Williams will be refilled. The lake, which holds nearly 1 billion gallons of water when filled, straddles the borders of Springfield and York townships.

JT Hand, the chief operating officer for York Water Company, holds an old photograph showing the early progress of the Lake Williams dam, prior to two well houses being built. On Thursday, November 8, 2018, the lake was down 22 feet, as renovations on the dam continue. The project started in July of 2018.

An old photograph, owned by York Water Company, shows construction on the Lake Williams dam over a century ago.

An old well house, used by farmers on the land more than a century ago, is fully visible as Lake Williams was drained.

A rusted up horseshoe, fully in tact, is seen on the ground where a workers' camp was during the construction of the dam at Lake Williams more than a century ago. More iron deposits were seen as the lake was drained. And while the low water on the lake might drive curiosity, York Water Company warned that no one should trespass on the land, due to safety reasons. Chief operating officer J.T. Hand said the company and the parks service have cited multiple people for trespassing, since the project began in summer of 2018.

As Lake Williams was drained for construction renovations on the dam, the old borrowing pit, used to extract clay when first constructing the dam more than 100 years ago, became visible.