As students jog, walk or drive around the lakes on campus, thesites might be pleasant, but the contents of the water are not.
“The major issue with the lakes is not necessarily thepollution, but the depth,” said Jason Soileau, assistant directorof facility development with Facility Services.
Soileau said because the lakes are so shallow, there isexcessive algae growth. The large amount of algae consumes most ofthe oxygen in the lake, which results in large fish kills.
Due to major problems with the depth of the lakes, the UnitedStates Army Corps of Engineers accepted a project to dredge thelakes, which will result in increased depths. Soileau said theproject was accepted last spring, but it will be several yearsbefore it is completed.
In October, the Corp of Engineers will begin the first phase ofthe project, which will take about 18 months. However, the dredgingwill not begin during this phase.
“The project is at least four years out,” Soileau said.
Soileau also said the project is expected to cost between $6 and$10 million.
Dr. John Sansalone, professor of civil and environmentalengineering, has researched water pollution resulting from therunoff of roadways, according to the University’s Web site.
In Baton Rouge, Interstate 10 runs directly over the City ParkLake resulting in direct runoff of pollution from the roadway.
After major rains, various pollutants drain from the overpassdirectly into the lake.
Some of these pollutants include heavy metals such as copper,lead, zinc and cadmium.
These pollutants are extremely harmful to water quality and thehealth of fish in the lake.