RESTORING A POND’S BEAUTY AND FUNCTIONALITY

Initially, MRD was engaged to address a suspected leak in a 3.5-acre lined lake in a private ski club in Montana. Through our due diligence, we learned that the nature of the liner failure was such that a complete relining would be necessary. The lake's main role is to provide snow-making capabilities for upwards of 100 acres of ski slope.

Even before the leaks, the lake’s volume was barely adequate to address the growing needs of the snowmaking program. Once we determined the lake would need a new liner, the client saw the opportunity to completely redesign the lake footprint to increase useable water for snowmaking and also to create an aesthetic amenity that members could enjoy outside the ski season. 

MRD and Headwaters Engineering designed a new lake that would result in 1.3 times the useable water and would also include a low pool of water to sustain fish during the snowmaking months. We redesigned the shoreline to provide separation from high-traffic areas and also to include a beach area that would serve as the main access point on the lake. A shoreline grading plan was developed to accommodate a trail system, fishing access points, and an area for guided anglers to stage. Material excavated locally was processed and used for backfill on top of the liner to emulate a mountain lake.

Before the project, the water was persistently off-color and typically full of unsightly algae. Now, however, the client has reported members using the lake for recreation — kayaking, fishing, and swimming, for the first time in their nearly 20 years at the private club.

COLLABORATORS: Headwaters Engineering, Field Studio Landscape Architects