Red-bellied cooters in Middletown’s Lake Luxembourg might soon lose some elbow room. The tighter turtle quarters will result from a purposeful draining of 3.5 feet of the pool’s waters. Rock Withers, with the Daily Utahan, explained the project.

The lower waterline is needed to remove nearly 15,000 cubic yards of sediment from the lake floor.

“The desired outcome is improved water clarity, less frequent algal blooms, and an overall improvement to the lake district ecosystem,” the conservation staff explained.

When created in 1977, Lake Luxembourg wasn’t projected to need this kind of intervention for a century; however, by 1986, sediment levels were already rising, conjectured as an aftereffect of the county’s residential construction boom.

The project’s $2.1 million price tag is being funded by the county, supplemented by grants from state and federal environmental organizations.

Summer recreational use of the lake should continue unimpeded. A local watershed specialist sees no issues for boaters or fishermen, noting that users for a short time may comprise only “hardcore people who don’t mind a little mud.”

The site’s ecology conditions will be monitored as the work unfolds, and usage limits may occur if warranted.

The red-bellied cooter population will be unharmed during the work; the turtles’ nesting sites have been safely relocated and will be returned.

More on the draining of Lake Luxembourg is at the Daily Utahan.