Community Corner

Echo Park Lake's Upgrade Brings Out Big Crowds

The $42 million renovation is attracting vistors from all around the Los Angeles area.

This story was posted by Craig Clough. It was written by Natalie Rivera. 

The renovated Echo Park Lake attracted a large crowd of onlookers Monday. 

The $42 million project, which took two years to complete after the lake was discovered to have been contaminated, has not only brought in local residents but also many people from other parts of Los Angeles since it was officially reopened to the public on Saturday.

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Phillip Aja, who said he once lived in Echo Park but now lives in Pasadena, came to see the renovated lake with his family Monday. Aja’s two sons enjoyed the playground, a new addition that replaced what Aja described as "a sandlot and a hot metal slide."

The new playground is not the only addition to Echo Park Lake. Along with cleaner restrooms, the park has also added a new lakebed, a renovated boathouse, new observation decks, a new walking path and new lotus plants. The lotus plants, which the park is known for, died off almost five years ago.

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Heather Lloyd from Silver Lake said she came to the lake only a few times before the renovations. Lloyd recounted her sadness when she saw that the lotus flowers had died. But now, the lotus flowers are back. 

"Even the birds seem happy to be here," Lloyd said. 

Jen Dm, who lives in Echo Park, said, "It is beautiful. It was worth the wait, 100 percent. Before, I wouldn’t come here with my dog but now I see so many people here and it’s a Monday."

Daisy and Jerry Gomez, who live in Echo Park with their daughter, explained that the construction was never a problem for them. 

"It was quiet for us. A lot of people that you would not normally see here are here now," Jerry said. "It was never this busy before. People would only come here to run but now there’s a lot more people."

Ari Bessendorf, president of the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council, was also satisfied with the renovations.  

When asked if the council would continue to keep the lake in its new state, Bessendorf said that "wer'e going to work closely with Mitchell O'Farrell, the new city council member. We’re looking forward to working with adequate security, making sure the lake is keeping the right environmental conditions and that everyone is comfortable using the lake as a public area."


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