AWWU adds pumps to speed up Campbell Lake draining process

Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility is working with a contractor to drain Campbell Lake to repair a 48-inch sewer line that became unmoored after the Nov. 30 earthquake. The utility planned to have the lake drained by Friday, but the process has been slower than anticipated.

The dam that created the lake contains two large pipes that can be used to drain the lake, but they haven’t been working fast enough, according to Sandy Baker, spokeswoman for AWWU.

The pipes are draining 25,000 gallons per minute, but Campbell Creek has been putting in the same amount, so the water level of the lake stopped falling. Adding pumps has increased the drainage by another 23,000 gallons per minute, she said.

AWWU has until May 15 to complete the repairs on approximately 200 feet of iron pipe. Crews will bury the pipe 3 feet under the lake bed and anchor it with concrete. The May 15 deadline comes from a permit from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which aims to preserve salmon returns.