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St. LOUIS, Mo.—The previously-announced closure of Jefferson Lake in Forest Park has been postponed until Aug. 15. Changes in the project schedule also necessitate adjusting the estimated completion of the project. The reopening of the lake is anticipated for summer of 2022.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will suspend public fishing in Jefferson Lake starting Aug. 15 in response to these changes.
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 currently expected to be completed and public fishing at Jefferson Lake reopened during summer of 2022.
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.
