The Kearny Town Lake has been a local and regional recreational amenity for decades. The area serves as a great place to walk, picnic and enjoy nature. It is also a refuge for many animals and birds who make their habitat in Kearny.
The lake originally had Arizona native fish species and the lake accommodated fishing for many years. The man made lake began having a problem with Golden Algae, which eventually took over the lake and left the habitat mostly unlivable for most fish, thus limiting the opportunity to work with Game and Fish on their community lake and fishing programs..
The Town, under direction of former Mayor Jaime Ramsey, began studying how the lake could be repaired to improve the habitat and evaluate the associated costs. Current Mayor Curtis Stacy explained how the current project is coming to fruition and thanked Mayor Ramsey for her leadership.
“I am thankful for her getting this project started and for the support of ASARCO, along with APS and CNSI Wireless who have also supported the lake repairs,” he stated.
The project to repair the lake is being funded by ASARCO and the project includes re-routing the inlet of the water and adding aerators (floating islands) that will help to keep the golden algae from growing in the lake. Preventing the growth of Golden Algae in the future will possibly allow fish to live in the lake. Town of Kearny staff is providing man power and time on the project and ASARCO has provided the funds and equipment to make the repairs.
To start the project, Kearny Town Lake will need to be partially drained into Steamboat Wash, which empties into the Gila River then the work can begin. It is expected that the project will take around three to four months to complete.
