Echo Park Lake Project is Well Under Way… Maria the Goose Supervises Her Home Remodel

By Luis Montejano, Broker Associate and Realtor in Los Angeles (Sotheby’s International Realty, Los Feliz)

EchoParkLake has finally seen its waters recede, at least temporarily, after construction crews emptied the 14-acre reservoir into the Pacific. While what’s left isn’t exactly pretty—a lot of smelly mud, to start with—the city promises that this is the first step towards a cleaner, prettier park. An observation deck, and rain gardens are planned for construction, and lotus flowers will be planted, in accordance with the “historic” look of the lake.

While the “growing pains” between the draining and the re-opening of the park might not be particularly attractive, an Odor Monitoring Committee is in place to try and stave off any particularly overwhelming dead fish smells; local wildlife has been removed to safer areas, under the close supervision of Wildlife experts. Maria, the goose of OK Go fame, has been given the “o.k.” to stay, after being checked over, so she can socialize with construction crews while they’re around; happily for her, once the water has been changed, her home at Echo Park Lake will be a cleaner, safer one.

The draining of the lake might make for some interesting finds, as well; historically, everything from waterlogged shopping carts to antique Coke bottles have been found in the muck after the lake’s draining. Hopefully, nothing too controversial pops up—in the meanwhile, city officials are trying hard to keep residents, both human and fowl, happy. Public Works officials point out that the park’s wildlife will, eventually, be better off with the cleaned-out waters of the reservoir, despite the temporary inconvenience. For local residents, promised improvements to the park should help them stay patient through the months of mud and covered fences surrounding the area.

So, while the views from Echo Park real estate may temporarily be obscured by covered fences, the lake reduced to a muddy, smelly mess, take comfort from this; the long-overdue cleaning of the waters, and removal of the trash built up in the bottom of the lake, along with planned park improvements, will eventually make Echo Park Lake a better experience for all of its fans and residents—fish, fowl, or human.