CORONA — The shoreline of Meadow Lake at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park has been strengthened and turned into a tranquil wildlife refuge through a $2.5 million project, officials said.
The manmade lake now has nearly two dozen plants surrounding it, creating a natural wetland that will attract more birds and butterflies and naturally clean the lake.
The cleanup was funded using state and city grants first issued in 2010. Work began in 2014 and it will be officially unveiled Thursday morning.
"We focused on creating wetland in that lower area and also to create a bio retention basin that is further north of the restoration," said Kathleen McCarthy, Project Manager for Wetland and Riparian Restoration.
The goal was to introduce better nutrients into the lake, which was built in the 1930s to capture storm and wastewater off nearby highways and roads.
Two flood-prone paths along the lake were replaced with a wider one that has been re-graded to stay above water, officials said.
They pulled out phragmites — a "really competitive plant" that prohibits others from thriving along the shore, McCarthy said.
More plants were added to block the sights and sounds of the neighboring highways, making it a more tranquil space.
Most importantly, a new bio-retention bin was built to better contain storm water runoff from the highways, using underwater radar to find already-existing pipes.
"We're pretty excited about this particular style of bio-retention basin because it's useful for situations where there's this old infrastructure," McCarthy said.
The new wetland should hopefully attract more species, including butterflies and blue herrings.
"We really wanted to create a more diverse habitat and create better conditions at the lake," she said.
