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.