Frequenters of Lake Lag and the Stanford community in general know all too well the irony of the sign posted next to what many would instead refer to as a crater: “Welcome to Lake Lagunita. Water activities (swimming, boating, windsurfing, etc.) are permitted at your own risk.”

But a new sign, recently installed on the trail surrounding the lake, has caused a stir among the disillusioned: “Reservoir 2 Maintenance Project — Phase 3. Flushing water being discharged to Lagunita.”

In fact, the two-week-long project, which began Sept. 26, is bringing water to the barren land, but not for the purpose of filling the lake. Instead, water is being drained from Domestic Water Reservoir 2, located between Lake Lag and the Dish, for cleaning purposes.

“We’re gradually draining the six-million-gallon reservoir for its periodic cleaning,” said Bob Hockey, a civil engineer with Stanford Facilities and Operations. “You have to wash it out because there’s dust and stuff.”

As the manager of the Reservoir 2 Maintenance Project, Hockey noted that the rate at which water will be entering Lake Lag is far too small to create any visible difference in the water level.

“When the project is complete,” Hockey said, “the lake will show no more [water] than it does now.”

As for the possibility of Lake Lag ever being filled, that is up to the winter rains and diverted water that normally flows from the nearby San Francisquito Creek. According to Hockey, though, the past year has been one of the driest on record, and the University has no current plans to fully fill the lake.