Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3

The lake levels for both lakes have been monitored daily since the wells were turned off.  The lake levels dropped at a rate that was over 3 times the expected evaporation rate.  The levels for both lakes dropped at similar rates in the initial monitoring period indicating that the issue was common to both lakes.  Meetings have been held with the contractor, District Engineer, geotechnical firm, and the Board to review the original construction plans, the execution of the plan, and the testing of the clay liner during the renovation, along with options to determine the cause of the water loss.  Some proposals would require isolating portions of the lakes to determine if the leaks are isolated to a specific area or whether the leaks cover the entire lake area.  This would require the construction of the barriers along with time to refill the lakes.   There is also a question of the quality of the clay liner since both lakes appear to lose water at the same rate.  To resolve this question the Board has authorized the geotechnical firm to take samples of the clay liner at various points along the both Lakes 1 and 4 and test the material for its sealing characteristics and for the make up the material itself.  The clay samples have been taken and the Board is awaiting the results of the tests so that a plan forward can be developed to resolve the water loss issues.