Wildlife, Odor Addressed in New Update From Lake Rehab Team

The Echo Park Lake Rehabiliation Project Team issued its latest update Tuesday after a weekend of bad press around coyote visits and dead fish.

It includes news that a new fence has been constructed around an interior bird pond to protect the animals from coyotes.

It also notes that 90 turtles have been passed along for adoption to the California Turtle and Tortoise Club.

Other highlights of the update include the news that odor mitigation and storm drain construction will remain a major focus over the next weeks, and that only traffic southbound on Echo Park Avenue will be allowed between Sunset Boulevard and Park Avenue.

READ FULL UPDATE BELOW

Read the entire update below or on the Echo Park Lake Rehabitation website

Sept. 27, 2011 Update on Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation

Coyote in project site
The project team was notified by members of the community about a coyote that was spotted in the project site on Sunday, September 25th.  The team sought the assistance of a wildlife specialist from the Department of Animal Services who was on site on Monday, September 26th.  The specialist confirmed that a coyote was indeed on the Echo Park Lake park grounds during his inspection. The coyote was also seen coming and leaving the site several times overnight.  

The project team speculates that the coyote entered the park grounds through a project fence segment that was damaged by an accident on Echo Park Avenue over the weekend.  The fence has been repaired and the project team is considering ways to further enhance the security of the fence.

To protect the birds at the park, the project team has erected a fenced around one of the temporary ponds most utilized by the birds.

If you see a coyote in your neighborhood, please stay away from it and call the Department of Animal Services immediately at 888-452-7381. 

Dead fish

Even after a wildlife biologist captured more than 2,800 live fish for relocation from the lake, approximately 200 dead fish have floated to the surface of what remains of Echo Park Lake.  To avoid odors, the project team is removing the remaining fish on a daily basis. Some challenges to quick action include the distance of the fish from the edge of the lake, and the instability of the lake bottom sediment to support the project team members and heavy-duty equipment needed to access these areas.  As the lake draining and drying completes over the next few weeks, we anticipate the lake bottom to harden enough to support our fish and sediment removal. Thank you for your patience!

Odors

Odors from the bottom of the lake have been reported this last week via email to our project email address: bpw.pao@lacity.org. The project team is constantly monitoring H2S levels at Echo Park Lake, and applying lime to the lake sediment to mitigate the odors. Lime application began last week and will continue over the next two weeks.  If you observe any odors from the Echo Park Lake area, call 213-978-0317 immediately.  Describe the odors in detail, the area where you caught the odor, and also provide your address and contact information.  Our project team will investigate the report and get back to you.

Turtles
The project team has rescued more than 90 turtles and handed them to the California Turtle and Tortoise Club’s rescue and adoption program. 

Upcoming Work
Work within the project site and at the corner of Echo Park Avenue and Park Avenue will continue.  

Within park grounds: most activities within the park perimeter will focus on odor mitigation and the construction of stormwater structures on the Glendale Avenue side.

At corner of Echo Park Avenue and Park Avenue: the installation of stormwater diversion structures at this location will continue through December.  Work hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on some weekends.  

Impacts:
TRAFFIC. Echo Park Avenue, between Sunset Boulevard and Park Avenue, will be one-way southbound only. All traffic heading northbound on Echo Park Avenue towards Sunset Boulevard will be detoured to Park Avenue. Motorists may detour through Logan Street, Lemoyne Street or Glendale Boulevard.

STREET PARKING. Street parking will be minimally impacted in the immediate area of construction. The existing “No Parking” restriction on the west side of Echo Park Avenue from Park Avenue to approximately Laguna Avenue will remain in effect.

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC. Construction work will impact a short segment of the sidewalk on the east side of Echo Park Avenue. There will be pedestrian detours at existing crosswalks at the intersections of Laguna Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. All pedestrians are encouraged to use designated crosswalks to the west side of Echo Park Avenue.

BUS STOPS. The northbound stop and southbound stop for the Pico Union/Echo Park DASH on Echo Park Avenue, just north of Park Avenue, will be temporarily out of service. Bus riders are requested to access the bus stops at Echo Park Avenue/Sunset Boulevard, and at Echo Park Avenue/Laguna Avenue.

Please note that Phase 2 of the installation of the stormwater diversion structure and screening devices will commence after this portion of the work. At that time, impacts include the full closure of Park Avenue between Logan Street and Echo Park Avenue. Updates and specific impacts will be provided in future updates.

To stay on top of the latest on your Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation project, please visit www.echoparklake.org.  The project team is accessible to you at 213-978-0317.