Rainbow Lake

“What’s up with Rainbow Lake?” We’re hearing this question a lot, and we appreciate your concern. Hot, dry conditions this summer have caused lake levels to drop and algae to grow faster than usual. We have manually removed algae twice, added water to the lake, and worked with the City plumbers to improve the functioning of the circulating fountain. To inhibit the growth of algae, our approach has been to try repeated applications of a less-toxic version of algicide and pond dye, followed by a waiting period to see if the applications worked. Clearly, this approach is not as effective as we had hoped, and we have scheduled the application of a stronger algicide and pond dye this week. If necessary, we will manually remove algae again.

We think Rainbow Lake has the potential to be a beautiful water feature at Overton Park. We are working with a landscape consultant to design longer-term improvements to the lake that will function both as aesthetic features and improve the health of the lake ecosystem, which we hope will naturally inhibit overgrowth of algae in the summer months.

In the meantime, we’re glad that so many of you are keeping a watchful eye on your park, and voicing your concerns to Overton Park Conservancy when you have them. Keep that feedback coming.