CORONA — The largest lake in the city is set to undergo a restoration project that will help clean it up after years of neglect.
Construction at the 94-acre Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will begin in the spring, with a focus on its shoreline and a project to stop runoff from the nearby Grand Central Parkway, according to the Parks Department.
As part of the Meadow Lake Water Quality and Habitat Restoration Project, the southern and southwestern edge of the man-made feature — built for the 1939 World’s Fair — will be surrounded by native plants that will help to naturally filter the water, officials said.
"Diverse flora" in the wetland and meadows will also increase the bird species it attracts and help protect small fish, a spokeswoman for the department said.
A “bioretention basin” will also be installed to capture runoff from the Grand Central Parkway and treat it before it infiltrates the lake.
Water currently rushes into the lake from a 35-inch stormwater pipe, according to the Parks Department. The Van Wyck Expressway also dumps rainwater and other runoff into the lake.
Meadow Lake was built with the nearby Willow Lake for the World’s Fair and is New York City’s largest freshwater body, the Parks Department said.
Despite its pollution, it has been designated by the state as a Critical Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat.
