What is going on with Lee Lake? Is it still leaking? Why isn’t it filling up?
The leak at Lee Lake, located on Adams Boulevard east of Silver Lake Road, was fixed in November 2017. City Beat readers may recall there was a leak in a concrete pipe that was intended to allow for the lake to be drained (if it ever needed to be) and for draining overflow from the lake. For details about the leak, see Lee Lake Leak Work .
Since the leak was repaired, several people have expressed concern that the lake may still be leaking due to the visibly low water levels. However, according to Director of Engineering Micah Siemers, the lake is checked regularly by City staff and there is no visible sign of the lake leaking.
“I believe the repair has worked and the pond level is getting lower due to dry conditions,” Siemers said this week. “Unfortunately, this pond does not have a large drainage area. It was dug as a borrow pit originally and is not located on some sort of tributary or drainage path.”
Siemers said water could be pumped from the nearby creek, which is how the pond was originally filled; however, the creek currently has only a few inches of water in it and is not running, contributing to the slow fill.
In short, Siemers said, “We need a large amount of rain.”