The State - News from June 30, 1989

Golden Gate Park’s North Lake, a favorite of bird watchers and nature lovers, will be drained within the next few weeks so officials can patch up a leak near its surface, park Assistant Supt. Jim Rogers said. About 400,000 gallons of water per day seeps from the lake at the San Francisco park’s western edge. “The extrusion of water from our lake has gotten so much worse that we are unable to fill the lake and still maintain fresh water irrigation in the park,” Rogers said. Although the lake has been leaking for years, the amount doubled in the last year, he said. Park workers will allow the lake to drain after this weekend. Once it dries out, the lake’s surface will be resealed and filled again by late fall or winter. Wildlife in the lake, mostly fish and turtles, will be moved to nearby Stow Lake, Rogers said. Most birds living near the lake have already passed their nesting season and should not be affected, he added.