High water data on Pebble Lake may provide best option for solution

By Susan Larson | The Daily Journal

Published Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Solutions to the ever-rising Pebble Lake might be easier to come by, after a year of tracking data.

City Engineer Dan Edwards will discuss lake level issues on Pebble Lake before the Public Works and Safety Committee Thursday morning.

The city, with help from Interstate Engineering, is compiling a report on lake level issues on Pebble Lake.

Present elevation, effect of last year’s pumping and how the lake has risen from the summer’s rains will be included.

The report will not be complete until later this month, Edwards said.

“But we want to get the discussion going again. People are concerned,” he said.

When the decision was made to pump the lake down last year, there wasn’t much information to go by because it had never been done before.

“This is going to help us by telling us what’s worked, what hasn’t, options and cost figures,” he said.

It will also help the city determine if a public hearing should be called to decide if permanent pumping is the answer, or a temporary solution like last year.

Despite being pumped down about 4 feet, “It was up this June by probably 3 to 3.5 feet,” Edwards said. “Last year was the first year we’d ever pumped Pebble Lake down, but the elevation has been getting higher every year for the past 10 years.”

The Public Works and Safety Committee will meet Thursday at 7 a.m. in city hall council chambers.

Other agenda items include:

• A request to expand the Walk of Flags to include in front of city hall.

• A consulting agreement to head up Regional Treatment Center legislative initiative.

• Setting a public hearing to extend On-Demand Graphics job creation goals for one year.