Skip to main content

Echo Park Lake To Reopen With Eco-Friendly Improvements

Support Provided By

Echo Park Lake will finally reopen after its two-year, $45 million renovation on June 15. The fence will come down and the neighborhood landmark, which was originally built as a drinking water reservoir in the 1860s, will be back in action and open to the public.

Echo Park Lake was identified as an impaired body of water in 2006, and the city allocated $64.7 million dollars to fund its cleanup and revitalization. The lake was closed off and drained in the summer of 2011. The rehabilitation project tackled Echo Park Lake not only as a recreational body of water, but also as an important part of the Los Angeles ecosystem.

Although Echo Park Lake is man-made, it is part of the local watershed. "It is the low point in the 770-acre Echo Park/Silver Lake watershed, but it also feeds into the L.A. River on its downstream side," said Julie Allen, Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation Project Manager.

The lake primarily acts as a detention basin for stormwater. "When extra stormwater comes in, it flows out of the lake into the LA River," said Allen.

The once murky waters of Echo Park Lake will be much cleaner thanks to several water quality improvement measures, including wetlands planted in the basin of the lake, a new and more watertight liner, a recirculation system, an aeration system, and hydrodynamic separators that treat the water before it enters the lake. Trash will still have to be manually removed, but the previously mentioned improvements should maintain the water quality in the lake for years to come.

The park surrounding the lake has also been spruced up significantly, with a new observation deck, walking path, informational signs, and landscaping. The boathouse at the lake has been renovated, and the City Department of Parks and Recreation is pursuing a vendor for the concession stand and the paddleboat rentals.

The lake's iconic lotus beds are back, as well. After a mysterious die-off in 2008, the flowers are back and blooming a year ahead of schedule. The Lotus Festival, however, will not return to the park for another year. The whole park received new sod and landscaping that can handle normal use but is still too fragile to host a festival.

The Lady of the Lake statue came back to the park in May, but not to the place where most Echo Park residents might expect to find her. The statue, formally known as Nuestra Reina de Los Angeles, was built in the 1930s and originally sat facing away from the lake on its northern side. The statue was put into storage in the 1980s and replaced with a pump station. The statue was later installed facing the water on the east side of the lake. The Lady of the Lake is now back in her original spot.

Some of the birds that were relocated from Echo Park Lake in early 2012 are returning to the lake. "We're not bringing any birds back that can't fly," said Allen, "but we do have waterfowl, hawks, and other birds that are coming back to the lake on their own."

Echo Park Lake will be open to the public on June 15. A community event tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. will celebrate the lake's reopening, but details are currently to be determined.

Support Provided By
Read More
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.
blue themed graphic including electric vehicles are charging stations, wind turbines and trees, 2023 in reference to year

A Look Back at Climate Solutions In 2023

The U.S. may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress in climate solutions.