Clean Water Current

The people behind the project say it will have benefits far beyond beauty.

John Arthur grew up near Fontenelle Park.

The lagoon he's looking at is now part of the city's sewer separation project.

“It's excellent, its excellent. I like the way they did it. I'm trying to figure out how long until we start fishing. Maybe this weekend, he said. “If you got something pretty to look at why not utilize it.”

The city is using the lagoon as a way to meet a federal mandate.

The eight and one half acre lagoon is now 11 feet deep holding three times the water of the old lagoon.

Rain water and snow melt are then slowly released downstream.

“And that's really going to benefit things downstream from here because that water's held here instead of going back into the combined sewer system and the Missouri River,” Assistant Public Works Director of Environmental Services Jim Theiler said.

And help keep water out of basements.