They say retaining the dam eliminates uncertainty for Veterans Terrace
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Veterans Terrace has had a front row seat to incredible sunsets, joyful summer activities like picnics and family fishing outings, prom and homecoming pictures as well as weddings with a breathtaking backdrop of Echo Lake.
Echo Lake, encompassing 70 acres and part of the White River watershed, also serves as a backdrop for visitors to Echo Veterans Memorial Park.
However, Echo Lake’s fate remains uncertain, considering the City of Burlington continues to mull many options related to the non-compliant Echo Lake dam.
In 2015, according to a Dam Failure Analysis, the state Department of Natural Resources ruled the Echo Lake Dam as non-compliant because it could contain a 500-year flood and carried a dam hazard classification of “significant” based on the structure’s relative size.
Because of non-compliance, the city must make modifications to dam to increase spillway capacity, or remove the structure by July 2025.
The cost to modify the dam could range from $1.5 to $2.6 million, depending on the type of gate selected by the Common Council, and would not include a dredging project estimated at $2.5 million for Echo Lake.
However, the total cost, excluding dredging, does not take into account potential funds received from the Municipal Dam Grant program administered by the state.
If the dam is demolished, Echo Lake will essentially disappear, which has left Veterans Terrace officials concerned about the long-term future of its non-profit event center along the Milwaukee Avenue corridor.
Beth Reetz, general manager of Veterans Terrace, and Joel Weis, president of the Burlington Community Fund, which serves as the non-profit arm of the venue, penned a letter to the Common Council urging officials to consider saving Echo Lake dam.
“After considering all options, we strongly feel that the future of our building and the Burlington Community Fund is at stake,” the letter states. “We have taken a risk/reward approach to our decision and hope that you will do the same.”
If the city removes the dam with recreational enhancements, the letter noted, many uncertainties such as unknown costs and a prolonged eyesore with the former lakebed sitting in view of patrons who attend Veterans Terrace events.
While Veterans Terrace officials see the potential in the enhancements, they don’t feel assured the plan would come to fruition in a reasonable time frame.
“We believe that decisions as to what would replace the lake could take years to be finalized and our business and financial future would be at risk the entire time,” the letter states. “While the reward might be a beautiful area in five or 10 years, we feel that we can have an equally beautiful area without taking this risk.”
The Common Council is scheduled on Feb. 16 to consider a resolution that would allow the city to apply for a grant to remove or modify the dam. The city is also considering a referendum on the matter that would be included in the November mid-term election.
City officials have said that in the interim, they hope to study and present detailed plans that will better define the costs and timetables for both options.
To read the full version of this story – as well as a story on the Common Council’s most recent discussion of the issue – see the Feb. 3 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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