Murphey Candler Lake Dredging

BACKGROUND:

Murphey Candler Lake is located in the northern part of the City of Brookhaven just south of Interstate 285.  This lake is used as a regional stormwater facility and for recreational purposes surrounded by walking trails.  The primary spillway and an emergency sluice gate are located at the southern end of the lake near West Nancy Creek Drive. 

Over time sediment has accumulated and sand berms have formed with invasive species growth.  In August 2016, a Watershed Improvement Plan for Nancy Creek was prepared for the City of Brookhaven by Sustainable Water Planning and Engineering, LLC.  Included in this study were lake depths and sediment measurements for Murphey Candler Lake.  Based on the measurements it was determined the sediment varied in depth from 0.25 feet to 5 feet with the greatest depths being along the northern portion of the lake. 

In February 2019 an Invitation to Bid (ITB) was posted inviting qualified Contractors to submit a Bid to perform the required dredging on Murphey Candler Lake.  Upon review of the Bids, Merrell Bros. Inc out of Kokomo, IN was selected for the work.  Since this time the City, along with a local Consultant and Merrell Bros, has been working diligently to obtain all the required permits and determine local landfills that can accept the dredged material.

In addition to the dredging, the ITB included “exercising” the valve for the primary low-level drain for the lake.  This will require the opening of a sluice gate located in the lake close to the dam.  Opening this valve will allow the release of additional flow from the bottom of the lake into North Fork Nancy Creek.  Residents down stream will see an increase in flows due to the release and a discoloration of the water in both North Fork Nancy Creek and Nancy Creek due to sediment accumulation around the low-level drain.

WHAT’S NEXT?

On January 14, 2020 a request will be made to the City Council for the approval of a $1,795,828.00 Contract with Merrell Bros. Inc. for the dredging and disposal of approximately 13,768 cubic yards of sediment from the northern portion of Murphey Candler Lake.  Upon approval of this contract Merrell Brothers will immediately begin to mobilize.  While the actual work will not impact the ball fields at Murphey Candler Park it will have an impact on the use of portions of the park.

The dredging process will require the placement of three barges in the lake and the staging of two large excavators along the eastern side of the lake.  As the sediment is dredged it will be placed along the easterly shore line to allow it to dry prior to being hauled to qualified landfills.  For the safety of the workers as well as the safety of the Public, the parking lot on the east side of the lake as well as a portion of the walking path along the east side will be closed to public access.  The overhead power line adjacent to the parking lot will be removed to allow a large crane to be brought in for placement of the equipment and, upon completion of the work, the removal of the equipment.  Power to any of the facilities along the easterly side of the lake will be turned off during this period.

The dredged material will be hauled to designated landfills in the Metro Atlanta area.  There will be an increase in truck traffic during this period.  The truck route will be limited to W. Nancy Creek between the parking lot and Ashford Dunwoody Road and Ashford Dunwoody Road between W. Nancy Creek and I-285.  To help expedite this project the Contractor will be working Monday through Saturday.  Working hours will be between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday – Friday and 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays.  There will be no work performed on Sundays.   

While the Contractor will be working as expediently as possible it is expected to take up to 180 days to complete this work depending on the amount of sediment they are able to remove per day and weather conditions.