It's Leaked for 26 Years: 5 Things About the Rotary Park Lake

It's a fixture of our community and our parks—the lake at Rotary Park. You've probably walked around it, fished in it, admired on its fountain or at the very least, driven past it on your way to pee-wee football.

Here are some things you might not know:

• The lake's official name is Community Club Lake.
• The Missouri Department of Conservation has managed stocking and fishing of the lake since 1992.
• The lake has been leaking for at least 26 years.
• In 2008, the city installed a new spillway pipe, installed French drains and removed roots and burrowing animals from the dam slope. 
• The Parks Department hopes to find money in the budget to repair the dam to height of 27 feet, create a forebay in the upper end of the lake for filtration, and remove sediment from the bottom. A consultant from the Missouri Department of Parks and Recreation has suggested that the lake be drained and excavated.