Township approves EnviroDredge contract to desilt Lake Voyager Pond

The Woodlands Township Board of Directors voted Aug. 27 to approve a contract with EnviroDredge to desilt Lake Voyager Park Pond, a project staff said is largely funded by a developer payment.

Chris Nunes, the township’s chief operating officer, told the board that Toll Brothers provided $300,000 to cover the bulk of the work and that EnviroDredge will remove “about 2,500 yards of silt, especially on the south side” closest to residents. Nunes said the contractor will use settling bags to strain sediment from the water so cleaner water returns to the pond and the removed material will be hauled away later. He also cautioned that fencing, site restoration and additional yardage could create costs above the initial $300,000 threshold.

Directors asked whether desiltation would be a one‑time fix and how the township budgets for work across its lakes and ponds. Nunes said the township monitors about 70 lakes and ponds and brings forward desiltation requests when monitoring shows sand or silt is accumulating in places where it tends to remain; depending on conditions, silt can move after storms and require periodic attention. Staff noted a separate $80,000 budgeted item this year for another pond section as part of routine monitoring.

Motion and votes: Director Sekula Gibbs moved to approve the EnviroDredge proposal; Vice Chairman Craig Eisler seconded. The board voted and the motion carried (aye).

Votes at a glance: the board also carried routine consent items and several other agenda motions at the Aug. 27 meeting (see "Votes at a glance" below).

Next steps: Staff said desiltation may take roughly three months under favorable weather, and the township will coordinate resident notifications and site restoration work as the contractor proceeds.