By CRISTINE MEIXNER

Express Editor

LONG LAKE - The State of New York plans on spending $1 million to make “critical” repairs to two concrete dams in nearby southern St. Lawrence County.

Both the Bog River Dam and the Lows Lake Dam are in the Hitchens Pond Primitive Area of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. They are commonly known as the Lower and Upper dams.

The upper dam created Lows Lake. Hitchins Pond is between the dams and the Village of Tupper Lake is downstream.

The lower dam was built in 1903 and the upper dam in 1907 by lumberman Abbott A. Low. Each will get $500,000 worth of work.

The dam repair is part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s NY Works projects. He announced April 16 that $5.1 million has been set aside for eight flood control system and dam repair projects in the North Country.

Projects labeled as “critical” are on an accelerated construction schedule.

Primary public access to the area is by a short gravel road off State Route 421 to Lows Lower Dam, according to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The road to Lows Upper Dam from Sabattis is on private property.

The DEC owns 577 dams statewide, including the two Lows dams. Its engineers classify at least 24 of the dams as “high” and “intermediate” hazards, where failure poses serious threat to human life or significant property damage.

NEW YORK WORKS

NY Works is intended to put New Yorkers to work rebuilding the state’s aging infrastructure.

State Senator Betty Little (R-45th District) said, “North Country communities are still recovering from the severe flooding experienced last spring and late summer.

“Our rivers, streams and lakes are a draw for hundreds of thousands of tourists and sportsmen, but when flooding occurs they can quickly become a threat to lives and property.

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York Works program is putting resources into infrastructure badly needing attention. These upgrades will better safeguard our communities from future flood damage.”

The NY Works Task Force will coordinate capital plans across 45 agencies and authorities, oversee investment in projects and access to funding, and facilitate the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.

Prior to NY Works there was no comprehensive state plan for the $16 billion in annual capital expenditures by 45 state agencies and authorities, Cuomo says.

The task force, made up of leaders in finance, labor, planning and transportation, will also recommend methods to accelerate construction of critical infrastructure.