Henrico to enhance Lake Overton near Three Lakes Park

Henrico officials April 18 celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking of a $1.5-million project that will enhance a lake near Three Lakes Park in Northern Henrico, in the heart of the Three Fountains North community just off Wilkinson Road.

As part of the project, the county will rebuild the Lake Overton dam (which was damaged by Tropical Storm Gaston in August 2004 and no longer meets state requirements), build a public trail to allow access from the lake to nearby Three Lakes Park, create a forbear to manage water flow, plant native species around the lake and install erosion controls around its perimeter.

The project is expected to begin in May and take about nine months to complete.

“This is personal for me because as an adolescent, I spent many of my days in this neighborhood,” Fairfield District Supervisor Roscoe Cooper III said during a ceremony at the site. “So this is very exciting for me.”

Lake Overton has been an important part of the community for more than 40 years, but Gaston’s impact – the storm drenched the region with more than 14 inches of rain in about two hours – damaged its dam, which has needed repairs since.

The Three Fountains Civic Association has owned and managed the lake for decades, and it worked with the county and state officials in the immediate aftermath of the storm to lower its water levels as a temporary fix. Now, nearly 20 years later, a permanent fix is arriving.

“We have an opportunity to not only repair the dam but also implement a range of enhancements that will benefit the environment and the community,” Henrico Public Works Director Terrell Hughes said Thursday. “We will work to make sure that Lake Overton remains a source of pride…for generations to come.”

– Citizen Editor Tom Lappas contributed to this article.