EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso County is no longer considering dredging or draining Ascarate Lake to improve its water quality, which has faced several challenges in years past.
According to County officials, the lake today continues to face issues with water loss, sediment buildup, and algae blooms — which have in years past killed the lake’s fish — that threaten the lake’s water quality and aquatic life.
In 2023, El Paso County approved $6 million in funding for improvements to Ascarate Lake.
County Commissioner for Precinct 2, David Stout, said the County originally envisioned they would use those funds to dredge the lake — a process which involves removing excess sediment from a body of water using a machine called a dredge– but said that is no longer an option.
“I know that in the beginning we talked about dredging or draining Ascarate Lake. We’ve since discovered that that’s probably not the best course of action, and we want to let the public know what we’re thinking,” Stout said.
On Wednesday, July 2, Stout led a community meeting to share the results from a study conducted by AECOM Technical Services, which the County hired to conduct an assessment of the lake.
The study concluded that dredging the lake would likely not prevent algae from growing back. Stout said the conclusion was further supported by UTEP researchers, who determined that the root causes of algae blooms at the lake were due to nutrient runoff and temperature changes.
Stout said that they were informed by the researchers that dredging could also severely disrupt aquatic habitats, displace wildlife, and negatively affect water quality during and after the process.
“We were advised by some of these engineers at UTEP that if we dredged the lake, if we did just wipe everything out from the lake, then it would not be conducive to the ecology of the lake as it is,” Stout said.
The study also found that the amount of sediment buildup at the lake was overestimated.
Stout said the County is now exploring other alternatives to make improvements to the lake’s body of water, such as using trees and vegetation to control erosion.
“There’s just a lot of options and we want to just make sure that the public knows what we’re thinking that we’re changing directions, and that we’re just trying to do the best for them,” Stout said. “I’m really excited about the future of the park. We definitely want to make sure that it’s usable, that the people want to go there, that we have the option for people to fish there, that we have the option for people to get on canoes and kayaks or paddle boats.”
According to the County, proposed improvements for the lake could start by early next year. The improvements would also include shoreline stabilization to prevent erosion, adding natural shade to support habitat and visitor comfort, installing new and deeper water wells to maintain healthy water levels, and the deployment of large energy-efficient LED aerators to enhance water quality and circulation.
Stout said those plans will be followed by improvements made to Ascarate Park, which will be funded through $31 million that was part of the $100 million bond approved by voters last November.
According to the County, there will be more planned public meetings at Ascarate Park to update the community on the evolving plans.
They said the lake will remain open to the public until a final improvement plan is approved, and that they will make efforts to minimize disruptions to lake activities during construction.
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