More than 30,000 tonnes of silt will be removed from Weston’s Marine Lake this week with a summer reopening on the horizon, said the North Somerset Council.
The Council was given the go-ahead to begin dredging the lake on Thursday, March 17.
“Dredging work will start this week and will take about two months to complete, subject to weather conditions and any unforeseen circumstances,” according to the official statement.
“After that, the two faulty sluice gates will be replaced. All work is due to be finished by the end of May enabling the lake to re-open at the beginning of June, in time to be enjoyed this summer.”
The dredging will be carried out by specialist contractors.
Water in the lake is essential for the dredging operation and means that, sometimes, work won’t be able to take place due to the low tides. This has been factored into the contractors’ works programme.
A section of Knightstone Road by the lake will be closed from 7am to 5pm on Thursday to enable the dredging equipment to be moved on to the site. A diversion will be in place during this time, the Council said.
The Council’s investment in Weston’s Marine Lake is part of its £700,000 ‘Great Lakes’ project which also involves work to revitalise Clevedon’s Marine Lake and Portishead Lake Grounds.