The 21-foot deep hole can be seen underneath the large drill.

– Kevin Lee

Parts of Palo Alto High School’s Embarcadero parking lot have been temporarily blocked off as part of continuing construction efforts to fix flooding woes on campus.

Lake Paly, the colloquial name for the seasonal “lake” of rainwater that forms in Paly’s Embarcadero parking lot, should not be able to return in full force next year, thanks in part to to the current installation of a water holding tank.

Previous efforts included digging a trench in order to install piping which will drain the parking lot. These pipes were installed as part of the same system as the water tank currently being installed.

The parking lot is noticeably blocked off by a steel obelisk — an auger, a giant earth-removing drill used to create a hole for where the water tank will go. Large diameter concrete piping, which now sits off the side of the hole, will line the new water tank. The 21-foot deep hole requires a harness for workers to safely descend into.

According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, the construction work in the parking lot should wrap up soon.

A slideshow of the construction efforts can be found here.