Anyone entering campus or crossing the interstate can clearly see the algae-topped LSU Lakes, but thanks to a new restoration project, the six lakes may become a shining landmark for the LSU community.
The University Lakes Project will resume rehabilitating the scenic lakes in September following its spring 2020 suspension.
The LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation, under the LSU Foundation’s umbrella, will oversee the dredging of all six lakes, construction of a bridge at May Street and building of sidewalks and bike paths around the lakes.
“The Lakes are not only important to LSU, but to the entire state of Louisiana,” LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan said in a press release. “We are excited to be part of the endless possibilities this project brings to our community,”
Political science junior Tyler Gambino said he enjoyed walking the lakes with friends almost every day in the summer, but he thought the conditions of the lakes could improve.
“I think the sidewalks could use a little care,” Gambino said.
Chemical engineering junior Aaron Hutchinson agreed.
“The overall health of the lakes could be better,” Hutchinson said. “I mean the water looks brown and disgusting.”
A partnership between the State of Louisiana, the City of Baton Rouge, BREC, LSU, the LSU Athletics Department and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation formed in fall 2019 to improve the lakes.
Progress temporarily halted when the project partners spotlighted the health of the community in the midst of the pandemic. To begin the projects amongst the impact of COVID-19, the project will occur in phases.
“This is a great step for the City of Baton Rouge and the entire parish,” said Mayor Sharon Weston Broome in an LSU press release.
In the same press release, BREC Superintendent Corey Wislon said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of trails and parks for the community.
The project does not suffer from a lack of ambitious ideas: project members aim to create boathouses, islands, easier access to the water, safer pathways for pedestrians and cleaner water for fishing and marine life.
LSU Foundation CEO Robert Stuart said funding is in place to move forward with the design of the lakes’ rehabilitation by the end of 2020.
“We’re very confident that we’ll have a good design team coming in to do the dredging,” Stuart said. “The lakes are a really important part of the quality of life at LSU and Baton Rouge. People from all walks of life use them, and we think we can make it a showcase that will be much more useable”
Stuart said project partners hope to engage students from various sciences to learn from the project.
After the design team finishes the lakes’ revamp, Phase I of construction, scheduled to start in fall 2021, will include the deepening and reshaping of City Park, Erie, Campus and College Lakes along with the creation of pedestrian and bicycle path renovations around City Park and Campus Lakes.
The three sources of funding from Baton Rouge Parish, BREC and the Louisiana Office of Community Development, combine for a budget of $15 million for Phase I.
Mark Goodson, a principal with CSRS, a small architectural firm merged with a small engineering firm, said he was excited to see increased safety and accessibility around the lakes, as well as marine biodiversity.
“The lakes are already tremendously popular, but there’s still a lot of untapped potential,” Goodson said. ”If they’re newer and nicer and better, they’ll become even more popular.”
Six lakes surround LSU's Campus in Baton Rouge on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020.
