Tornado recovery has consumed just about all of his time at Lake Panorama the past 10 days or so, but Association General Manager John Rutledge says other business has continued in the aftermath of the Mother’s Day Storm.

Such other business includes installation of the lake’s brand new $2.2 million dredge which has been placed up near the north basin of Lake Panorama.

“We took delivery of the dredge mid-storm.  It was assembled before the tornado came through but we were able to get it off the beach and put up north here at the upper basin.  We just signed off, signed the checklist off on it and we’re operating it.  We’re not sure if we’ll have the upper basin open by this weekend just because of everything else that’s going on, but the people need to know the dredge is running well.  We’re happy about that purchase, (and) we think it’s going to be a great addition to the lake.”

This new dredge, purchased by the Lake Panorama RIZ, was built by Dredging Supply Company out of Reserve, Louisiana, and Rutledge says it includes a booster pump that will be able “to pump silt and minerals all the way from the lake’s Fansler Bridge to the far corner of the County Basin silt facility.”

The lake’s old dredge, Horizon, could not be retrofitted with a more efficient, lower pollution engine without major renovation, so Rutledge says purchasing the new dredge was necessary, and Horizon will eventually be sold.