Lake Improvements Gain Ground at Kirkwood Park

Residents can expect to see a filled Walker Lake following coming rainfalls. The City of Kirkwood had drained the lake at Kirkwood Park as part of an improvement project but has now closed the valve to the lake, so it can be filled when weather allows.

The city hopes to complete the first two of five projected phases of improvements to Walker Lake in the next month and a half, according to Kirkwood Director of Parks and Recreation Murray Pounds.

"These first two phases focus on the lake itself, with the primary purposes to be to improve the overall appearance of the lake edge, improve water quality and fish habitat and to rebuild the bridge area and supports for the bridge itself that had started to collapse," Pounds said.

The cost of the first two phases is about $675,000. The need for the improvements was identified during the preparation of the 2005 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Site restoration at Walker Lake likely will continue for about the next two weeks, Pounds said. In May, the city will drop the lake about a foot to allow for the planting of aquatic plants in several shoreline areas of the lake.

"This should be about a two week process, but will have minimal effect on users," Pounds said.

Three additional phases of lake improvements are currently planned.

The third phase, predicted to start sometime next year, includes improvements to the lake's perimeter walkway to bring it up to current accessibility standards and to improve control of runoff entering the lake from the park, according to Pounds. The subsequent phase will be the naturalization of the concrete channel that feeds the lake from the east.

The final phase of improvements to Walker Lake would be the addition of a small pavilion in the area where the handball courts are currently located.

Pounds said these last two phases will likely take place in the next three years or so.

Although the lake will be stocked this summer, fishing in the lake will not resume until the November trout season opens later this year. Fishing for other species will be limited for the next two to three years as the fish population is allowed to mature, according to Pounds.