ARLINGTON LAKE TAKES CENTER STAGE
July 1, 2023
For more than three-quarters of its current 89-year history, Arlington was known, among other things, for its one body of water, Arlington Lake. Developed from a former clay pit, it was repurposed into what was initially dubbed the “Brickyard Pond.”
As the cemetery grew and developed, the lake was a point of interest. Fishing stories still abound. From a practical perspective, however, it served as a drainage/retention basin for a significant portion of the cemetery’s 165 acres. Always shallow, stormwater and its deposits have emptied into the lake for many decades. Those deposits have continued to build on the lakebed resulting in an ever-more shallow body of water. Despite aggressive chemical treatment by licensed professionals, the lack of depth has essentially neutered the lake’s ability to prevent algae growth. It becomes pervasive, gaining a foothold with the onset of the summer’s warm temperatures.
We realize the lake is a favorite destination for visitors. We’re also acutely aware that algae are dreadfully unsightly and uninviting, and we continue to study possible approaches and treatments. Yet while we’ve tried to avoid the most radical of approaches, we are beginning to believe that the best and perhaps the only way to solve the algae problem is to drain the water, dredge, and excavate the lakebed.
If that is the path we decide to take, it would obviously affect visitors while the project is ongoing. We are working to design a plan to minimize disturbances. Work will most likely occur in August and September.
We’ll continue to provide information as we move through the process.
