If you've ever wondered what's been lurking beneath the surface of an urban watershed like Echo Park Lake, now you know.

Because of a draining and dredging project by the L.A.Bureau of Engineering, the city has come up with this list of fine, inner-city detritus which, in this case, includes two guns, one parking enforcement “boot” (gotta love that one), three boomboxes, six (six?!) skateboards and one toilet.

Here's the list (so far):

Park Trash Cans – 20

Construction cones – 36

Shopping Carts – 7

Portable Stereos/Boombox – 3

Pay Telephone – 1

Skateboard – 6

Parking Enforcement Boot – 1

Toilet – 1

Glass bottles – Hundreds

Model Boat – 2

Frisbee – 20

Weapons (guns) – 2

Office Chair – 6

Miscellaneous toys, Trash, Debris – Hundreds


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We say “so far” because, as Michelle Vargas of the Bureau told us, the dredging has been put on hold for winter. The lake is actually part of L.A.'s storm drain system and needs to be ready for rain.

They started draining it in summer as part of a $65 million dollar project to revitalize and rehab the lake and bring back its iconic lotuses. The money comes from Prop. 0 bond funds, which comprise a pool of $500 million.

They expect to be done in 2013, and much more dredging is expected. So look out for more lists. And more guns. Lots more guns.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com/@LAWeeklyNews]

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