More than 20,000 tons of sediment are set to be removed from a Brookhaven lake over the next six months for a project aimed at improving the health of the local ecosystem.
The Brookhaven City Council last week voted to pay about $1.8 million to a contractor for the dredging project at the lake at Murphey Candler Park. The lake is owned by the city and is considered “one of the jewels” of Brookhaven, the city said in a statement.
Portions of the park will be closed during the work, which began recently.
The contractor is expected to eventually remove about 13,700 cubic yards of sediment from the lake using three large barges in the lake and two large excavators on the shore. Dredging is the removal of debris from the bottom of lakes and other waterways, in order to prevent sediment from accumulating and possibly contaminating the water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
At Murphey Candler, the city said, the project is necessary due to a sedimentation that was promoting the growth of invasive species.
The lake is home to largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish and channel catfish, as well as Canadian geese, mallards and beavers, the city said.
Councilwoman Linley Jones said the project could take up to six months to complete, “depending on the amount of sediment they will be able to remove each day and the weather conditions.” Workers are expected to be onsite during the day every Monday through Saturday.
“I am sure the beautiful end results will outweigh any temporary inconveniences,” Jones said in a statement.
The parking lot on the east side of the lake and a portion of the walking path along the east side are closed to public access while crews work on the lake, officials said.
The sediment removed from the lake will be shipped in trucks to landfills in metro Atlanta.
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