Scott County Conservation closed the lakes in West Lake Park in 2019 for restoration, and they should be back to their normal levels by early next year.
West Lake Park Manager J.B. Graham says they began filling the biggest lake, Lake of the Hills, in the summer of last year, and now there's just two feet more until it's completely filled. Then the docks can return and the beach can re-open.
"In the last year we've been collecting water and are just getting to the point where we're close enough to be filled. So with some fall rains, some snowfall over the winter, some spring rains, then we should be in good shape for spring of 2023, is our hope."
After the lakes were drained, crews removed sediment, strengthened the shorelines, and added retention ponds. Fish re-stocking has already started.
Graham hoped the restoration would be completed sooner.
"We had some minor setbacks with weather during the actual construction phase and then we kind of struggled through a drought in 2021 that just set us back a little bit getting the rain water it took to actually fill the lakes."
Even though the four lakes in West Lake Park have been closed for three years, the camp sites, hiking trails, and playgrounds have all been open.
