Fullerton lake leaking 50K gallons each day; city working to plug it

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Laguna Lake Park, a popular recreational area in Orange County, is leaking, and now the city of Fullerton is taking on a project to stop it.

The lake underwent a major $3 million restoration project in 2005. The 7-acre man-made lake is a popular spot for people to exercise, ride bikes, fish or just relax, and it's also home to its own ecosystem.

"You can kind of get away from it all and get that little outdoorsy vibe and catch a couple fish in the process," said Trevor Cigich from Villa Park.

But now there's a big problem - Fullerton's department of public works said the cement bottom is leaking.

"During the winter, when it's not mostly evaporation, we're probably losing about 50,000 gallons a day, going down into the bottom of the lake," said Donald Hoppe, director of public works.

That number grows significantly during the summer. Hoppe added that the lake loses about 80,000 gallons per day and about one-third to evaporation.

After looking over several options, including draining and resurfacing the bottom, the city decided tiny pieces of gravel are the best solution to stop the leak.

"It looks kind of like Raisinets, for lack of a better term, it's gravel that's been coated with Bentonite, which is clay, which is an inert material," Hoppe said.

It's called Aquablok and Hoppe said it'll expand to create a seal on the bottom of the lake. The project calls for about 2,500 tons of it, which will cost the city about $400,000.

It's a price some people said is well worth it to save the lake.

"Truly hope that the city is able to fix that for the citizens and for our community," said Ana Maria Gill from Westminster.

The project is set to begin at the end of the month. Hoppe said the lake and part of the trail will be closed during the three week process.