After a two-year, $45-million makeover, Echo Park Lake will reopen to the public Saturday morning with a ceremony that will include Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti.

The festivities are scheduled from 10 a.m. until noon. The park is located in the 1700 block of Park Avenue.


The lake was completely drained and cleaned before being refilled and restocked with plants. A clay liner was installed to reduce water leakage through the lake bottom.

The 29-acre lake was originally built in the 1860s as a reservoir for drinking water. But over the years the lake became polluted and was identified by the state in 2006 as an impaired body of water.


Today, the lake and surrounding park have been fully rehabilitated, with lake, landscaping and wetland improvements. The lake serves primarily as a detention basin for the city’s storm drain system, while also providing recreational benefits and wildlife habitat.

In addition to Garcetti, numerous city officials and community leaders will be on hand to celebrate the neighborhood’s spruced-up landmark. They include Barry Sanders, president of Los Angeles’ Recreation and Parks Commission; Capri Maddox, president of the board of the Los Angeles’ Public Works; and Jon Kirk Murkri, general manager of the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks.


The park’s restoration was paid for with bond money from Proposition O, a 2004 voter-approved initiative intended for projects aimed at protecting the public health and the environment.

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carlos.lozano@latimes.com