Workers with Weitz Company are shown on the spillway below the Lake Panorama dam’s bascule gate.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
Planned repair work on the Lake Panorama dam was completed in early November with the lake level returning to normal by early December.
Last year, the Lake Panorama Association (LPA) lowered Lake Panorama by 1 foot to allow for a routine inspection of the lake’s dam. LPA staff, Shive Hattery Engineers, and Certified Power Solution, which is LPA’s hydraulic services provider, did a thorough inspection on the dam.
The inspection did not reveal any emergency issues. However, signs of wear on the dam’s cylinders dictated these be replaced after the 2025 boating season.
The dam’s bascule gate is operated by two hydraulic cylinders, which raise and lower the gate. The cylinders are controlled by a computer located in the control room on the dam. LPA staff monitor the lake level and adjust the gate height as needed by sending signals to the cylinders.
At the time of inspection, the cylinders had been in service for 20 years. Fortunately, LPA had spare cylinders on hand and didn’t need to purchase new ones.
The lake level had to be lowered 5 feet to safely make the needed repairs. LPA began lowering the lake level Oct. 1, and work by the Weitz Company got underway in mid-October. Once both cylinders were replaced, the company ran a test cycle to ensure the system was working properly.
Lowering the lake gave some property owners the chance to do lakeshore renovations and repairs. It also allowed LPA staff to more closely identify hazard areas around the lake. This new knowledge will be used to fine tune placement of some hazard buoys in 2026.
This drone photo taken looking north shows the hazard area near Christmas Tree Point that was exposed when Lake Panorama was lowered 5 feet. This is why so many hazard buoys protect this part of the lake north of the dam.
This photo of the Lake Panorama dam was taken from the north. A crane was stationed on the dam to lower materials to the work site during the cylinder replacement project.
Lowering the lake level by 5 feet had a dramatic impact on Stanley Cove.
This aerial shot of Sunset Beach includes people who probably were looking for hidden treasures in the exposed sand.
The Weitz Company installed temporary scaffolding to provide direct access from the dam embankment to the spillway.
The Lake Panorama dam spillway is shown during the time work was underway to replace the two cylinders that raise and lower the dam gate.
An aerial view of Lake Panorama’s main channel looking northwest from Shady Beach.
This drone shot of Lake Panorama’s main basin exposed shorelines and the hazard area near Christmas Tree Point.