Tag Archive for: echo park lake rehab project

, ,

Take a ride on the waters of Echo Park Lake

The pedal boats are back in business on Echo Park Lake! It’s been around four years since the city shut down pedal boat operations at the Boathouse due to budget cuts. Yesterday the operators of the pedal boats, Echo Park Lake Pedal Boats, Canoe & Gondola, greeted lines of people renting the bright yellow boats on the newly renovated Echo Park Lake.

The boating company is operating on a 90 day pilot program for the summer, after which the city will review whether or not it was successful. The cafe vendor will also operate under the same trial period – Square One Dining is expected to start serving on August 1.

Cost is $5 per child and $10 per adult for both the pedal boats (up to one hour) and canoe rides (the latter includes two laps around the lake with a guide). A gondola ride sounds like a nice date night – a half hour for one couple will cost you $50.

Wednesdays will be a great day to head down and rent a pedal boat – called “90026 day,” local residents can rent a pedal boat for just $10.

Hours right now are Monday through Friday, 11:00 am-7:00 pm, and weekends open at 9:00 am until 30 minutes before sunset. We imagine hours will fluctuate depending on the season.

The menu for the cafe has not yet been released, but according to The Eastsider LA will include “park fare” such as hamburgers, hot dogs, juices, and brunch items. Currently the sample menu on the Square One Dining website looks pretty delicious – gourmet cold and hot sandwiches, salads, soups, and more. Hopefully the price tag at the new Echo Park Lake Boathouse won’t reflect that menu – the cheapest lunch sandwich is listed at a whopping $10.50.

/1,407 Comments/by
,

Echo Park Lake getting greener

Spring brings many shades of green and other colors to the landscape of Echo Park, but in the nearly two years that Echo Park Lake has been under construction there’s been a lot more dirt and a lot less green.

That is, until last week. Last week workers started laying sod along the west end of the lake, a welcome site for those of us anxious for the lake’s reopening next month.

In addition to the sod, you’ll also notice the lotus leaves starting to pop up just above the water level. Although they might not blossom until next year, there are some blossoming water lilies on the east side of the lake that are adding some more color to the landscape.

h/t Above the Lake

/972 Comments/by
, ,

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).

Read more

/1,525 Comments/by
,

Drop by Farmers’ Market for info about Echo Park Lake Rehab

View from the top of the Clinton Stairs

We have been getting quite a few emails from residents asking about the upcoming Echo Park Lake rehab project. Today at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market, you can drop by the Echo Park Trash Abatement Project (TAP) table to learn more about how to improve water quality, especially at the Lake. They will have on hand some materials from the city’s Stormwater Public Education Program, the Prop O Lake Rehab Project, and trash management information for you. You can also sign up to get information about how to help with trash cleanups, water quality projects, storm drain adoptions, or to share concerns at the table.

The table will be there tonight from 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm.

The Echo Park Farmers’ Market takes place every Friday from 3-7:00 pm in parking lot #663 (half a block south of Sunset Blvd. off Logan Street).

/217 Comments/by
,

Talk a walk with Maria the Goose’s favorite human(s)

Flickr photo via LaCaMod

You may have heard the story about Maria the Goose – the only loveable goose I’ve ever heard of. She may not snuggle with you, but she is very friendly and has become very fond of Dominic, a local who visits her quite regularly and is often seen following him down the street as he speeds away on a moped.

You may have also heard about the goose on KTLA, and the Maria the Goose Facebook page (well, they call her Orange Bill) launched from the recent OK Go music video at the lake.

This weekend, a Hiking Club will meet along with new member Dominic to take a walk around the lake. Hike leader Lee Zebold admits that lately, Maria has also “accepted me, and I am now her friend.”

According to the meet-up page, “Now is your chance to meet Maria and walk Echo Lake with her. She will put on a flying demonstration as well to show off her newly learned abilities (she is young and learning to fly). It will take no more than an hour and should be a hike (walk) that you won’t easily forget.”

As you may know, the lake will be gated, dredged, and rebuilt over a two year process starting in April 2011. We have just a couple of months left to enjoy the lake as we now know it, so take advantage now! And don’t worry, there’s still the second largest park in Los Angeles (Elysian Park) in our backyard, so you won’t be left without some great green space.

The meetup this weekend is on Saturday, February 12 at 9:00 am. No dogs, easy hike for all ages. Meet at 1750 Echo Park Avenue. Click here to sign up on the meet-up page.

/555 Comments/by

Echo Park Lake Rehab EIR to go before City tomorrow

View from the top of the Clinton Stairs

April 2011 is just around the corner, and you know what that means – the beginning of a two-year long and very stinky Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation project.

Tomorrow is the day the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) goes to the City Council Energy and Environment Committee for review. It’s difficult to tell whether or not the final EIR makes Echo Park activists happy -the nearly 500 page EIR is quite complicated and difficult to interpret (to fully understand everything you’d probably need a degree in City Planning, Architecture, and Environmental Policy of some sort). Residents with concerns had until August 30, 2010 to submit comments for review prior to the final EIR.

You can download the Final EIR (if you dare, the file is quite large) by clicking here.

Pollution and much-needed updates to the filtration systems are behind the Prop O funded rehab project, which is scheduled for April 2011. They will drain the 13 acre lake and haul out approximately 50,000 cubic feet of soil from the bottom, replace the lake liner, rebuild the wetlands, and replant other vegetation (including the lotus bed). They filtration systems will also be updated, as the lake does collect water runoff from the city, and will help reduce the amount of city water used to keep the lake levels high.

Wildlife activists and bird lovers have been concerned with the state of the migratory birds once the lake is drained. A compromise has been reached, and the engineers will include four temporary pools for migratory birds.

/269 Comments/by