{Article taken from www.jacksonville.com}

Workers plan to start dismantling a playground at Huguenot Park next week to prepare for a lake-dredging project that was postponed last year.

Bull Dredging Inc. will excavate Huguenot Lake at Third Street and 16th Avenue South to remove sediments that have collected over the last decade. The lake will be dredged to a depth of about 7 feet to improve the wildlife habitat and storage capacity for stormwater runoff.

Huguenot Lake is key to the city's stormwater drainage system. It collects runoff from Third Street and neighborhoods east of Third Street that is piped to the 12th Avenue South treatment pond and eventually the Intracoastal Waterway.

The park's pier and east side playground will be closed during the project, which is scheduled to finish in July. The city may also close a section of 19th Avenue North from time to time to complete the job.

The dredging project was initially supposed to start in April and finish in November but was postponed due to state permitting delays.

Bull Dredging will not drain the lake during the excavation. It will use environmentally acceptable dredging equipment designed to protect fish, turtles and other wildlife.

Dredged sediment will be stored at two temporary berms on the east side of the park to allow it to settle and water to return to the lake.

The project should make the lake more attractive to wildlife. Over time, the lake grew more shallow as it silted, causing the water to heat up more quickly and lose oxygen.

"It should improve the habitat for them," said Public Works Director Ty Edwards.

Once the dredging is finished, the contractor will regrade and landscape the area and restore the playground equipment and picnic benches.