The Watershed Protection Department appears to ready to move ahead with the start of the Old Lampasas Dam #3 Modernization Project, having completed the diligence called for by City Council this spring.
In a memo released Monday, WPD Director Jorge Morales detailed his department’s progress on the environmental and quality-of-life concerns included in a May public hearing and accompanying resolution. The $14.9 million project is scheduled to begin this fall.
Council’s resolution was primarily involved in the impact of using just over 15,000 square feet of city parkland in the Upper Bull Creek Greenbelt as a staging area needed for the long-planned repair of the dam’s primary pipe outlet, which was damaged by a tropical storm in 2010.
The memo notes WPD found no significant environmental features are involved in the proposed staging area. Staff relied heavily on a 2011 environmental assessment of a nearby construction project on the the Handcox Water Treatment Plant to avoid duplicating prior relevant review work.
WPD has also confirmed the contractor for the dam work will be responsible for restoring the staging area to its current state. That restoration will include mitigating soil compaction, reseeding native grasses and reestablishing any disturbed vegetation.
To reduce conflicts with school buses traveling along the construction route, the project team has assigned a community engagement specialist to coordinate schedules with schools and parents in the neighborhood. As a result, temporary lane closures will take place only between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays or from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, with a message board and a speed trailer stationed along Spicewood Springs Road to alert travelers of construction activities.
The team will also implement pre-approved dust controls during construction to address stormwater pollution.
In recognition of the city’s noise ordinance, the contractor will be prohibited from operating loud grading or separating machinery within 600 feet of nearby residences between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
A further restriction limits work in the neighborhood’s “triangle” area to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, with notification of the surrounding community required ahead of any work that would take place on a Saturday or Sunday or on major holidays.
Last fall, the Environmental Commission considered and approved the variances required in the Land Development Code to allow the use of parkland near the dam as a staging area.
Over time, erosion has exposed and damaged a 60-inch corrugated metal pipe principal spillway, with the failure allowing water to pass underneath. The improvements called for in the project would include the removal of trees and boulders along the dam’s footprint, and replacement of the existing principal spillway pipe with a reinforced concrete pipe principal spillway and cradle.
Prior to the passage of the resolution in May, Council Member Mackenzie Kelly added an amendment that called for the proper steps to ensure the surrounding neighborhood and parkland wouldn’t be negatively affected by the construction.
“Because it is a small road, we want to make sure that that traffic isn’t impacted when this happens,” she said, noting the flood threats to dozens of homes in the area that could be alleviated by the repairs.
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Watershed Protection Department: The city's Watershed Protection Department works to reduce the impact of floods, erosion and water pollution in the city. The department is mostly funded by the city's drainage fee.
