After many years and much local debate, Lake Mitchell is set to be drained and cleaned later this year.
In the fall Lake Mitchell will be drained. First the water will be dropped about a foot a day, followed by holes being cut in the spillway. Once the lake is drained, contractors bid on removing the sediment causing damage to the Lake. City officials say contractors should bid sometime next year.
Mark Puetz is with the Friends of the Firesteel, a Lake Mitchell advocacy group. He said draining and cleaning is going to have a positive impact for everyone.
“A clean and healthy lake again, right? A usable lake that’s safe to be able to recreate in for animals and for humans and to have a healthier ecosystem in general," Puetz said. "And having a community supported effort that is for the lake, but also for the watershed. So, once this project is complete it only is going to get better."
He said every year between a third and a half of the recreation season is lost due to bluegreen algae, but the process is going to regain some lost time.
“It looks like you could almost walk on it at sometimes," Puetz said. "And it just stinks and smells terrible and it’s not a safe and healthy place to recreate. So having that back for the extent of the season would be huge."
Puetz added he expects efforts following the cleaning to keep it healthy far past this process.
Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson said despite tensions surrounding the lake, he thinks relief is something people can generally agree upon at this point.
“It seems like everyone’s excited. You know there’s obviously still some split decisions or split opinions, but I think everyone, or not everyone, but most people are just happy that we made a decision and we’re moving on," Hanson said. "Which is really nice because I’m super thankful that at least a decision was made, and I can focus on everything else in the city rather than this one subject that we’ve been focusing on for so long. So, that’s what I’m excited about personally. In the next five years, when this project is done, I think the reputation of Lake Mitchell will be completely turned around."
Hanson said best case scenario, Lake Mitchell is up and running for recreational use by late 2027. Poor weather could push that back to 2028.
