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Last updated on Monday, May 21, 2012
(BLOOMINGTON) - Because of cracks in the spillway and other necessary repairs to its infrastructure, Griffy Lake will be drained dry this summer, and the unofficial dog park at the base of the dam will be used as a staging area for construction materials and equipment.
When the area is closed to recreational use, Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department hopes to open Ferguson Dog Park not far away.
The new park will be far from finished, but at least there will be a fenced-in place for off-leash dogs and their humans to play.
Jon Callahan, spokesman for City of Bloomington Utilities says Work at the dam will include replacing the sluice gate, located at the bottom of the water intake tower, fixing cracks in the spillway and replacing the concrete in-board slope, installing an underdrain and removing vegetation and debris and removing 20 years of sediment build up .
A federal grant the city received for repairs to the dam and spillway require the work be completed by the end of 2013.
The DNR changed fishing rules for for Griffy Lake because of the draw down: The largemouth bass size limit of 14 inches has been removed, and the daily bag limit for all fish species in the lake has been doubled.
"This action was taken to make best use of the fishery prior to the lake draw down," according to a DNR press release.
The DNR will restock the lake once the infrastructure repairs are complete and the water levels rise.
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