Another lake is returning to a historic park in Colorado Springs.

“Lake” is the word used by the Colorado Springs Parks Department anyway. “It looks more like a pond,” said Jake Butterfield, the department’s capital projects coordinator. “But the official name is Duck Lake.”

That’s the body of water seen along Glen Avenue, entering Monument Valley Park off Uintah Street. Approaching drivers and dog walkers, runners and cyclists along the greenway near downtown have seen something more like a mucky pit over the years. Duck Lake has often dried and been left unfilled by the city.

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Priorities have shifted in recent years.

In 2023, Shadow Lake was rebuilt — the larger body of water along the trail south of Duck Lake. Shadow Lake is complete with a stone wall mimicking former construction by the Works Progress Administration, a landscaped island and views of Pikes Peak.

Now Duck Lake is almost back to its historic appearance, with a matching wall, island and encircling trail. Butterfield anticipates construction wrapping up later this summer.

The lakes have been eagerly anticipated by the Friends of Monument Valley Park.

“It’s so great to see it coming to fruition,” said Teri Peisner, the group’s president.

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She added: “The beauty of the water and the trees and the wildlife, too, the ducks and the geese — I think it’s a huge draw.”

The waters were central to city founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer’s “park for the people,” deeded in 1907. Planning documents showed four lakes to be built along Monument Creek, city Cultural Services Manager Matt Mayberry said in a previous interview.

“Colorado Springs is the largest city in the state without being on a river, and being near water is a key human desire,” he said. “I think (the lakes) were for beautification.”

Two would be blown away by the flood of 1935, and two were later restored. Over the decades, Duck Lake in particular languished.

Glenn Carlson saw this firsthand as he was attending Colorado College in the early 2000s. He enjoyed sitting by the water — at times.

“There were times when it was full, and there was flow or changing water if you will, and it would stay relatively clean,” said Carlson, now executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition. “And there were other times when the water was really low, and it would get kind of gross.”

The Parks Department’s intent is to prevent that.

Just as one was installed for Shadow Lake, Duck Lake is being equipped with an aeration system aimed at keeping the water clear. Duck Lake will be filled with potable water, while the larger Shadow Lake has been filled with cheaper non-potable water.

“I think non-potable contributed to a lot of that algae growth we saw” at Shadow Lake, Butterfield said. “We kind of want to get away from that to help us out maintenance wise.”

Maintenance will determine the next era for the lakes — to avoid a repeat of history that saw them left unattended amid a recession and city budget cuts.

Water was found to be seeping at Shadow Lake, explaining the liner installed now. In contrast, Duck Lake has been seen somewhat filled by groundwater over the years; no liner was installed in hopes of better retention, perhaps thanks to bedrock.

Still, Butterfield recognized loss from evaporation at both lakes. On top of a larger fill costing $1,400 ahead of this summer for Shadow Lake, Butterfield said between 40,000 and 50,000 gallons of non-potable water could be supplemented monthly over the season. He said that would amount to about $210 a month.

On top of a $17,000 fill projected later this summer, Duck Lake’s potable water fills could run about $300 monthly, with tens of thousands of gallons also expected, Butterfield said.

The costs were one thing, the use of water another, Carlson acknowledged.

He considered himself a proponent. “But I could see how a lot of people would say, ‘Wait, why are we spending our money here?'”

The city budgeted construction and renovations at both lakes at about $2.4 million, largely paid by voter-approved Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) retention funds. Hundreds of thousands of dollars also came from Lyda Hill Philanthropies and the Friends of Monument Valley Park.

“Sure, future maintenance is always a concern,” Peisner said. “I really hope, though, with having put so much money into it the past couple years that this will become a priority of the parks system.”

Indeed, Butterfield said. “We don’t have a blank check, but this park is important.”

He continued: “I just think it’s important to keep these historic places beautiful. This was given to us by our founder, and we have to continue to honor his vision and the vision of our town, and these elements do that.”