A message from our friendly neighbors at DWU...

Dear Residents and Project Stakeholders,

Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) is pleased to report that the dredging of Bachman Lake has been completed. Dredging has restored the lake to recreational depths and removed the “sediment islands” and debris in the lake. The lake is now fully open to the public and rowers, kayakers, and other users to enjoy the lake without restrictions. The southern parking area next to the Dallas Rowing Club has also reopened.

Dredging activities began in early 2022, to remove silt and debris that have entered the lake from Bachman Creek and the surrounding area. The contractor, Renda Environmental, used a barge to pump silt to an off-site location, where the slurry was dewatered to load the sediment onto trucks for offsite disposal. The contractor was able to remove 154,441 cubic yards of sediment and 3,125 tons of debris from the lake, resulting in improved water quality, aquatic habitat and restoration of the lake to recreational levels.

The rehabilitation improvements will significantly reduce the potential of a breach by replacing the existing service spillway to improve capacity along with moving and widening the auxiliary spillway to pass flood events safely. Additional improvements include hardening the earthen embankment to protect the dam and comply with TCEQ dam safety guidelines.

The dam and spillway rehabilitation design is complete and will be advertised for construction bids in late spring/early summer 2023, with construction activities anticipated to start this upcoming winter. The rehabilitation improvements are estimated to cost over $50 million.

The latest information on the Bachman Dam and Spillway Rehabilitation Project and dredging can be found on the project website. Residents and stakeholders may also follow the project on social media platforms @bachmanlakedam on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.