A lake in West El Paso that drew concern in April over the risk of a potential dam breach has been lowered to “very low levels” as crews work on safety improvements, according to El Paso Water.
A video captured of Cement Lake on Tuesday showed that the water level appeared to be very low.
El Paso Water later said in a statement that “crews have reduced the lake to very low levels while building a temporary overflow spillway that will allow excess water to be released to the Rio Grande to maintain public safety.”
The utility issued an advisory in April saying the lake could potentially breach.
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At the time, crews worked to pump the lake into the Rio Grande to stabilize the dam.
El Paso Water President and CEO John Balliew said the dam was not inspected before El Paso Water purchased the property.
El Paso Water said its stormwater team “is also working on the design of a longer-term solution to reinforce the levee.” The utility added, “Once a permanent solution is in place, EPWater is committed to restoring lake levels.” El Paso Water also noted, “There is a natural spring that continues to recharge the lake.”
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