Residents & Stakeholders — February 2021

Dear Residents and Project Stakeholders, 

Dallas Water Utilities is making progress on the Bachman Lake Dredging Project and is currently at sixty percent (60%) design completion. The Bachman Dam and Spillway Rehabilitation Project is in the preliminary design report phase and work is also progressing. Upon review and approval, the dam and spillway rehabilitation project will move into final engineering design. These projects include engineering efforts to ensure dam safety and regulatory compliance and lake dredging based on the Bachman Lake Task Force’s recommendation to “Maintain the Lake”. The projects will update hydrology and hydraulics and address regulatory flood capacity, address Bachman Dam structural and stability recommendations and return the lake to recreational levels by removing accumulated sediment. 

In the past few months, the engineer has completed field activities for permitting and design including: Topographic Survey of the Lake; Fresh Water Mussel Survey; Bathymetric Survey to Estimate Dredging Volume; Geotechnical Investigation; Waters of the US Survey for Wetlands Delineation and Cultural Resources Survey for Permitting. 

A public meeting was held on August 10, 2020, with the Friends of Bachman Lake. Staff presented an overview of the project and residents had an opportunity to provide community input. On February 8, 2021, Dallas Water Utilities will join the Friends of Bachman Lake Neighbors In the Know Meeting to provide a project update. Residents may join the virtual public meeting via Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/TheBachmanLakeFriends/ from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (English Session) and 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Spanish Session). Project updates and meeting information will be posted on the project website at https://bachmanlakedam.com and social media platforms at @bachmanlakedam on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Below is an extended project timeline, to be refined upon completion of the Dam Rehabilitation Final Design Report and analysis of its findings and consideration of criteria such as cost, schedule, constructability, and permitting.

 

Timeline	Project Activity
June 2020	Continue Dam Rehabilitation Design Approach Refinement.  Dredging Design and Field Work Tasks for Freshwater Mussel Survey, Bathymetric Survey, Cultural Resources, Topographic Survey, and Geotechnical Investigation.
Late Summer 2020	Public & Bachman Lake Stakeholders Meeting to present project overview and gather input. August 2020 meeting with Friends of Bachman Lake (FoBL).
Winter 2020/2021	Complete Dam Rehabilitation Design Basis Report  Public & Bachman Lake Stakeholders Meeting to present Project Update – February 8, 2021 with Friends of Bachman Lake (FoBL).
Summer 2021	Begin Final Design Phase of Dam Rehabilitation.  Open Bids for Dredging Services  Council Consideration of Dredging Construction Contract
Fall 2021	Begin Bachman Lake Dredging Work
Spring/Summer 2022	Complete Dam Rehabilitation Design and Advertisement for Bids
Summer 2022	Completion of Bachman Lake Dredging and Demobilization
Summer 2022	Council Consideration of Dam Rehabilitation Construction Contract
Fall 2022	Begin Dam Rehabilitation Construction
Fall/Winter 2023	Completion of Dam Rehabilitation Construction and Demobilization

 

Please let us know if you do not wish to continue receiving updates about this project. Additional project updates will be disseminated as the project moves forward. 

For questions or concerns regarding this project, please contact Dallas Water Utilities Project Manager, Mark S. Mihm, P.E., CDT, ENV SP at 214-670-4271 or [email protected].