Phase 1 construction is well underway!
Phase 1 construction focuses on dredging City Park Lake and Lake Erie. Additionally, improvements will be made to May Street and the weir underneath Stanford Ave. New green spaces and shorelines created from the dredge material will be landscaped to create "living shorelines" that will mature and evolve over time, creating ideal habitats and helping to treat runoff before it enters the lakes.
As of today, construction crews are almost finished “raking” the southern portion of City Park Lake, south of Interstate 10, to remove stumps and debris. The large piles of logs and debris that can be seen at the construction site on May Street will be sorted, and some of the material will be reused in the project while some will be ground up and recycled. Any material of value that is not reused will eventually be sold at public auction, and the proceeds will be reinvested in the project.
Areas in City Park Lake that have been raked are now being dredged using hydraulic dredging equipment.
Much of the sediment removed from City Park Lake will be used to create new land adjacent to the existing LSU Bird Sanctuary on University Lake. Initially, the sediment is being pumped into geo-textile tubes to create a containment area off of the Bird Sanctuary. The tubes are beginning to fill up!
Next month, crews are planning to begin working in the northern end of City Park Lake (north of I-10) and, eventually, Lake Erie.
The goals of the University Lakes Project are to:
Deepen the lakes to provide a more sustainable aquatic system.
Provide increased flood risk protection for upstream and downstream communities.
Enhance environmental performance to improve natural habitats.
Improve and diversify recreational uses while improving safety for walkers, runners, and cyclists.
Phase 1 is being funded by the State of Louisiana, the City of Baton Rouge-Parish of East Baton Rouge, and BREC.