Arnold Lakeside Complex beach wall reconstructed

  • Published
  • By Jill Pickett
  • AEDC/PA

Arnold Lakeside Complex patrons can once again enjoy the sand and surf of Woods Reservoir thanks to an Arnold Air Force Base Civil Engineering project to rebuild the beach wall.

The beach wall had failed in two separate places necessitating a temporary closure of the beach access at the ALC. Knowing the boost to quality of life that the beach area provides, a plan was made to rebuild the wall before this summer.

After removing the old wall, a 6-foot high, 282-foot long wall was built to hold back the shoreline. Part of the wall is below grade, and the above-grade portion is mostly hidden by water when the depth of Woods Reservoir is at summer level. Six feet of rock was laid behind the wall for structural support with the wall tied into it at multiple levels, creating a stronger wall that is expected to last for years to come.

The hill around the beach area was also re-graded to route water around the beach. This will help prevent erosion of the beach and weakening of the wall. Several inches of sand were also added to the beach.

“It’s so awesome to be able to give this (the beach) back to the base,” said Oscar Portillo, project manager. “I’m really proud of the work done by Cody Howland (lead man for construction of the wall) and the Richland, LLC team.”