Work has begun to dredge the pond at Marilla Park in Streator

Dredge work started on the Marilla Park pond in Streator.

The International Union of Operating Engineers 150 have volunteered to dredge the park’s pond to get a depth of about five feet. Dredging is the process of scooping out mud, weeds and garbage from a body of water’s bed in order to make it deeper.

The dredging will take a couple of weeks to complete, said City Engineer Jeremy Palm.

The dredging should improve fishing and also help the water gain more depth to freeze in the winter for ice skating.

The Lions Club also is planning to add a handicapped-accessible fishing dock. The 10-feet by 10-feet dock pad can be built in a weekend and will float on top of the water. The club proposed the project in 2017 as its centennial project, but it has had to wait for the pond to be dredged to move forward.

Streator's Park Board is expected to meet this summer to discuss some of the projects at Marilla Park.