Efforts to remove the rubber dam at Tempe Town Lake began Monday. It comes shortly after crews finished draining the lake as part of the city’s dam replacement project.
"Crews are out here unbolting the rubber bladders and then pumping out a little bit of water that was held back by a cement lip," said Kris Baxter-Ging, a spokeswoman with the city of Tempe.
Baxter-Ging said while there is no water in the lake, the lakebed will remain off-limits to members of the public.
The city is on track to reopen the lake with the new hydraulically operated steel dam on April 30.