August 12, 2014 - Coming soon: Help is on its way for Fountain City Lake!

The iconic lake may look bad today, with low water levels and a lot of algae, but the City of Knoxville is helping the Fountain City Lions Club with a long-term fix.

By the end of October, the City's repair and redesign project will have the lake on its way back to good health!

Mayor Madeline Rogero budgeted and City Council approved up to $250,000 to correct the lake's problems. An initial $49,000 is on City Council's agenda August 19.

If approved, work will start soon: Fountain City Lake will be drained and the muck removed. (Don't worry about the fish – they're moving, possibly to Victor Ashe Park!)

Once the water is drained, a leaky earthen berm will be repaired, which will allow for a deeper lake water level and discourage algae from returning.

Because Fountain City Lake is fed by a natural spring, City engineers intentionally scheduled this work to be done during the dry season, September and October.

The leak repair isn't all that's happening in the coming months. In the second phase, an environmental engineer will be hired to produce a detailed water-quality management plan, as well as to detail and design an aeration system.

We are happy to partner with the Fountain City Lions Club and thanks to everyone for their patience as these long-term fixes are made.