The changing landscape of Echo Park Lake

Click here for the full map (PDF)

In case you’ve missed it, there are not only covered fences up around Echo Park Lake, but it’s also looking a bit… lower now. That’s because the rehabilitation project has finally (and sadly) begun – phase one of the draining having started at the end of August, pumping about eight feet of water out of the lake and into the storm drains.

The temporary pools have been installed, and with all the muck in the lake water already it seems the wildlife is taking advantage. The fish and other water wildlife (turtles, etc.) will be relocated once the lake has been drained a few feet (supervised by a wildlife biologist), after which the lake will be completely drained and the Odor Monitoring Group will be called upon to monitor.

After a July 20, 2011 Echo Park Lake Rehab public meeting, a couple of improvements were made after residents spoke up:

1. A portion of the sidewalk on the west side of the lake along Glendale Boulevard will be closed after residents complained the sidewalk was too narrow, and thus dangerous, for pedestrian use. They will install alternate route signs.
2. Parking restrictions along Echo Park Avenue have been slightly relieved – instead of No Parking between 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, it’s 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. Residents more recently pointed out that the parking isn’t even being used by construction workers. According to one resident, who contacted the project managers, the parking will be used by construction workers since the Lady of the Lake statue was removed (apparently she was in the way of construction access).

The Lady of the Lake statue was removed for storage on August 23, 2011, with the plan of reinstalling her after construction to her original/historic location where the pump house now stands. It’s not clear what we’ll do about the constant vandalizing of the statue – her hands keep on getting broken by people climbing on the statue. Someone suggested she be installed on a platform off the shore, but the concern hasn’t been addressed since the July meeting.

We’ve scanned in the current map illustrating the landscape plan, including the Lady of the Lake statue, the wetlands, walls, benches, and the Lotus beds. Click here to download the full PDF (10 mb).

Additionally, expect to see some tree removal and concrete path removal in the coming weeks.

While we also plan on keeping an eye on the site (we’ve also signed up to be part of the oversight committee with Garcetti’s office) and uploading pictures to our Flickr set, a couple of residents have actually installed a web cam on their property overseeing the lake (h/t The Eastsider LA). EchoParkLake.com will capture hundreds of images per day of the lake, which they will eventually turn into a time lapse video of the nearly two-year long construction. Visit the website to check it out, and make a donation to the residents in charge to help them cover their costs.

In the meantime, here’s what the lake looks like, minus eight feet of water: