Forest Park’s Jefferson Lake closes to fishing April 1 for renovation project

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News from the region
Saint Louis
Published Date
03/30/2020
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St. LOUIS, Mo.—The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces that public fishing in Forest Park’s Jefferson Lake, located in St. Louis City, will be suspended starting April 1 for approximately one year. This is to accommodate an extensive, $10.5 million renovation of the park’s eastern waterways by Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis that will also impact the lake.

The project is tentatively expected to be completed and public fishing at Jefferson Lake anticipated to reopen June 2021.

Forest Park Forever stated in a press release that “the project will reshape and enlarge the lake, create more natural opportunities for fishing, add a boardwalk and picnic pavilion, replace the fishing dock, create a cascading waterfall and overlook along Clayton Avenue, and build an underground connection for water flow from Bowl Lake to Jefferson Lake.”

Forest Park and Jefferson Lake are owned by the City of St. Louis. MDC stocks and manages the fish resources of the lake. Forest Park Forever is a private nonprofit conservancy that works in partnership with the St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park.