Pumps temporarily shut off today as data collection continues
Posted on 8 December, 2015Meters were installed on the two six-inch pond outlet pipes discharging into Lake Hiawatha on Nov. 30. On Dec. 8, Barr Engineering will download the first full set of data collected from the pumps, transducers in the ponds and monitoring wells.
On Dec. 8 the pumps will be temporarily turned off, allowing water in the ponds to rise while measurements are made. The pumps will be turned on before water levels pose any risk to the golf course or surrounding properties. Data will again be collected once the pumps are turned back on.
The collected data will be used as the key inputs in a ground water model. A series of scenarios will be run through models with results available by the end of December. The MPRB and a consultant engaged to assess the validity of the models will spend several weeks reviewing the results of the various scenarios. Following that review, MPRB staff and consultants will prepare materials to share with the MPRB Board of Commissioners and the public.
Staff expects decision-making tools based on data collected to be in draft form by mid-January and materials will be ready to share publicly by the end of January. Key data and modeled results will inform decision-making, including definition of what happens when the pumps are turned off, particularly from the perspective of storm water flows, and an estimate of the annual volume of ground water pumped in current and future conditions.