Virginia Lake hearing set
On the evening of Thursday, Dec. 4, the city government will hear from the public on what to do with Virginia Lake.
The options the city wants discussed are:
• Keep the lake the way it is now
• Circulate water in the lake better
• Reduce the size of the island
• Get rid of the island
According to a city news release, “City of Reno staff will compile the information from public meetings, opinion survey results, and other input received and return to Reno City Council with project alternatives and a recommendation for [the] Council's consideration early in 2015. City Council will then give staff direction on the project.”
The lake was created by the New Deal's Works Progress Administration in 1937. It was designed for swimming and wading—an option not included in the city's list—with an average depth of five and a half feet. It covers 24.5 acres and is fed by the Cochran Ditch, which enters at the northwest corner. The Nevada Legislature passed control of the lake and other WPA projects to Washoe County in 1939. The lake is now managed by the City of Reno.