The City of Bartlesville has begun a project to pump water into Lee Lake from Turkey Creek in an effort to fill the lake following a leak in a concrete pipe last year.
Lake watchers may recall that levels at the lake began to diminish last year, after which it was discovered there was a leak in a concrete pipe that was intended to allow for the lake to be drained, if needed, and for draining overflow from the lake. The leak was fixed in November 2017, and city engineers hoped rainfall would restore water levels to normal over time.
Director of Engineering Micah Siemers said this week that while the repairs to the pipe are holding, the lake’s small drainage area and lack of rainfall in the area has resulted in the necessity to pump water into the lake from Turkey Creek.
“The repairs have been holding, but the lake does not have a large enough drainage area to fill up unless we get a large amount of rain over a longer duration than what we have had this year,” Siemers said.
He said filling the lake could take a while because the pump used to facilitate the project is also needed at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.
“We are utilizing a large pump that is used at the Waste Water Treatment Plant and they need it periodically, so we will pump for a week or so and then the pump will be removed to facilitate use at the WWTP. Then we’ll bring the pump back and start pumping again,” he said.
Siemers said the pipe will remain in place until the lake is full.
“This could take quite a while,” he said.