‘No wake zone’ for boaters at Raystown Lake will accommodate Mariner East 2 pipeline work

• Marie Cusick
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  Marie Cusick was the Harrisburg reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania.

Boaters on the popular Raystown Lake will have to slow down to accommodate construction of the Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids pipeline for the next few weeks.

The pipeline builder, Sunoco, requested a “no wake zone” from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It will begin July 9 and last through August 3, and will affect the Seven Points Recreation area of the lake.

The 8,300-acre lake in Huntingdon County is known for swimming, boating, hiking, and mountain biking. It draws about 1.5 million visitors annually.

Park Ranger Allen Gwinn says Sunoco began working at the lake about a year and half ago.

“We’ve tried very hard to make sure they don’t interrupt or interfere with the recreational component of the lake,” he said.

The Mariner East 2 pipeline is being built to carry natural gas liquids from western Pennsylvania to an export terminal near Philadelphia. Sunoco spokeswoman Lisa Dillinger said the no wake zone will allow divers to take soil samples from the lake bottom, as part of the construction.

“The zone begins approximately 600 feet south of Seven Points Marina, extending southward for a distance of approximately 0.3 miles and across the entire lake extending east to west,” the Army Corps said in a news release. “Within this temporary zone, boaters will be asked to maintain minimum speed while still making headway to avoid wave formations in the area.”

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