It was expected that the water elevation in our newly restored lake would be somewhat higher than it was seven years ago, when the association was forced to drain it.  However, the water level proved to be even higher than anticipated, and we have been dealing with the impacts – and our efforts to mitigate it – ever since.

As some of you are aware, in January the Board of Directors – with input from the most affected property owners – voted to lower the riser tower by six (6) inches), as a result of these impacts.  We were proceeding with this plan, and were preparing to approve a proposal from the contractor who did the dam repair at the February Board meeting.  That very day, one of the lakeside property owners provided the Board with a certified Engineering survey that showed that the riser tower (whose height determines the water elevation) was 10.4 inches higher than was specified in the project design approved by the state of Virginia- than it was originally when the lake was created.  Naturally, this stopped the tower modification process in its tracks.

The Board had to have our own engineer evaluate the survey (he validated it), decide if we wanted to do our own survey (we are not), and then decide how to proceed.  In light of this new information, the Board decided to void the January decision and enforce the project specifications on the contractor- in other words:  to put pressure on the contractor to acknowledge the error and lower the riser tower height by 10.4 inches at no cost to TLOA.  This effort has been ongoing since March 1, unfortunately without a clear resolution and timetable at this time.

The Board understands that this higher water elevation is a serious issue, and continues to take measures to mitigate it, weekly and after every heavy rainfall.  And, we remain committed to lowering the riser tower, and are currently deciding whether to proceed with this work without the involvement of the original contractor, as opposed to waiting any longer to have this permanently resolved.

Completing this lake restoration project, which includes correcting the riser tower height to its original level, remains the top priority of the association and the Board of Directors.