Author: FBCWCID 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.

The water levels for Lakes 1 and 4 have been monitored for 50 and 40 days respectively with the water wells turned off.  The water levels on both lakes dropped 2-3 times the rate that would be associated with evaporation indicating that the new clay layer is not providing the expected sealing of the lake bottom.  The engineering firm and the contractor have been informed of the problem and the engineering firm has been tasked with developing a plan to stop the loss of water through the newly installed clay layer.  Several residents and board members with experience in dealing with this problem will meet with the engineering firm to discuss the plan forward and to offer guidance based on their experiences in past projects.  A timeline will be developed for the proposed solution and it will be shared with the community through future updates on this website.  The water wells filling the lake will remain off until such time as the plan to repair the lakes is implemented.

The wells for Lake 1 were turned off in late September.  The lake level has been monitored daily and the lake level has been dropping at a consistent rate since that time.  The level drop is higher that the drop expected as a result from evaporation.  This would indicate that the lake bottom is not sealed as planned.  The district will continue to monitor the drop to see if the daily lake level drop will equal the estimated drop expected from evaporation.  If that occurs this will indicate that the area leaking has been exposed and remedial work will be performed to seal the clay liner.  If the lake continues to drop at a consistent rate exceeding evaporation, the engineering firm and contractor will develop a plan forward to remediate the clay liner to the district’s satisfaction.

The well for Lake 4 was turned off 10 days ago and the lake level is being monitored daily.  The lake level is dropping at a consistent rate that is higher than the rate that would be expected from evaporation.  Since the filling of the lake started over a month ago there may be some absorption of the water into the dry clay causing the level to drop more than evaporation.  As with Lake 1 the district will continue to monitor the lake level to see if the drop eventually matches the expected drop associated with evaporation.  If that occurs it would indicate that the water level dropped below a possible leak area and remedial work will be performed.  If the drop continues at a consistent rate exceeding evaporation, the engineering firm and contractor will develop a remediation plan for the clay liner to the district’s satisfaction.

The current uncertainty of the lakes’ clay liner means that the fountain and lights will not be installed until the situation with the lakes has been resolved.  Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.