Sterne Lake dredging nears end

The Sterne Lake dredging project is about wrapped up, though a small island of silt will have to stay.

“To get to the stuff in the middle, we would have needed a different permit,” said Dave Bennetts, manager of the design, construction and maintenance program for Urban Drainage and Flood Control District.

Bennetts said crews removed about 95 percent of the sludge operating long-range excavators from the banks, but the rest will have to stay for now. Getting the other permit to reach the middle is a somewhat lengthy process, he said, and the $175,000 project was out of time and money.

“It’s certainly a vast improvement over what was there,” he said.

“It’s going to be a lot better-looking lake,” said Jim Priddy, manager of parks and open space for South Suburban Parks and Recreation District. He said it will hold more water and smell better, and the wildlife will be happier.

A pair of domestic white ducks has remained at the park throughout the project, according to neighbor Beth Devlin. She said a few people tried to move them to where they might be happier, but they’ve remained stubborn in their resolve to stay.

“The white ducks are very happy,” said Priddy. “They’ve never been discontented.”

Bennetts said Urban Drainage will stay in touch with the city of Littleton and South Suburban Parks and Recreation, and would go back in for the rest of the silt if that was the desire.

“We’re trying to get the site put back together as best we can, and hopefully it will be done in the next couple weeks,” said Bennetts.

Priddy said a few good rainfalls will fill the lake back up, so everything should be back in order before summer events begin rolling out.