Lake on Hold

When they drained the lake at Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights, somebody forgot to warn the ducks. As a result, a lot of waterfowl are rapidly becoming mud fowl, and as the summer progresses, they may have to learn to be dust fowl. But the ducks seem to be managing all right so far. And when the lake is refilled at summer’s end, they’ll have a far healthier puddle.

The $800,000 lake-draining project is being undertaken to clean out the thousands of tons of muck that has been accumulating since the lake was created 70 to 80 years ago. Contractors will also haul out assorted trash--shopping carts, beer bottles, street-light globes and a baby carriage.

Gary Schussolin, a city engineer, said the 4.5-acre lake has served primarily as a basin for storm drains. “Over the years, all the pollutants from the streets have accumulated there,” he said. The nitrogen-rich muck will be treated and used as fertilizer in city parks.