Crews gear up cleanup of Tempe Town Lake

TEMPE, AZ - City crews are rushing to restore Tempe Town Lake after a dam break turned it into a barren desert.

Wednesday morning, bulldozers and city employees began cleaning up the now desert like Lake.

According to City of Tempe officials, workers will restore the bottom of the lake to its original condition, remove debris and fill in puddles where mosquitoes might breed.

“This project is very similar to building a road,” said Street Maintenance Superintendent Denise Brewer. “Even though this is a river bottom, this something we are very experienced at doing.”

According to a news release, Tempe had been looking into dredging the lake after a series of floods and that grading is less expensive and better for the environment.

In addition, some of the dead fish in Town Lake will be bulldozed to the lake's edge where it will be loaded into a dump truck, taken to city property and covered with organic materials to control the smell and be composted for fertilizer.

"Tempe is very concerned about the environment and about sustainability. The essence of these fish can help gardens and plants throughout our city. We also want to remove as many of the fish as possible to remove odors and keep our community healthy," said Councilmember Onnie Shekerjian.

City officials say it could take two weeks or more to complete the cleanup process.