Last summer, there were few people who considered McCullom Lake a great recreation spot.
The 244-acre lake north of McHenry was so overgrown with algae, weeds and other vegetation that it was a murky mess unsuitable for swimming. And because bottom-feeding carp had disrupted the food chain, killing off most other species of fish, the lake held little appeal to fishermen.
But state and local officials staged a $182,655 rescue operation that included removing certain plant life and introducing a chemical that killed all the fish, in an attempt to give McCullom Lake a new life.
This summer, people who use the lake are happy to report that the rescue was successful. Hundreds of people flock to the beach each day, and with the lake newly stocked with bluegill, catfish, northern pike, and bass in the near future, the fishermen have returned.
“It’s crystal clear,” said Dale Dunn, who has lived near the lake for about 13 years. “It’s like bath water. You can even see stones and footprints in the sand on the bottom.”
But the revival of recreation at McCullom Lake doesn’t end there. A program is being launched to double the size of the parkland surrounding the lake, turning it into one of the largest recreation areas in McHenry County.
The Illinois Department of Conservation awarded the city of McHenry a $216,500 land-acquisition grant last month to more than double the size of Petersen Park, the recreation area near the lake, to 128 acres from 60 acres.
Plans call for McHenry to take the grant and $200,000 in municipal funds to expand the beach, acquire an adjacent 45-horse stable, and develop soccer fields and open-space area for picnics and festivals.
The project would increase the waterfront to as much as 2,300 feet from about 300 feet and possibly add another ramp for windsurfers, rowboats and sailboats.
Another section of the recreation area will become part of a bike path that eventually will stretch from Aurora to the Wisconsin state line.
Considering that McCullom Lake was left for dead in some people’s minds, city officials say the recreation project is quite a comeback.
“This is the first step in a long process, but it should turn into a real jewel for the people of McHenry,” Mayor Steven Cuda said.
Those who like the idea that the area also will be protected from development will like another feature of the acquisition: It will be funded from the proceeds of the growth, without tapping into property- or sales-tax revenue.
The state grant is funded by part of the real estate transfer tax that is levied on the seller. The city’s $200,000 will come from impact fees paid by developers.
The 68 acres to be acquired was bought by CorLands, a private open-space group based in Chicago, from Edward Mass, a construction contractor, about 18 months ago. The city of McHenry has an option to buy it, said City Administrator Jerry Peterson.
Thomas Hahn, executive director of CorLands, said his group buys potential open-space tracts and holds them while local governments apply for grants to buy the land.
The second chance for the McCullom Lake recreation project has its roots in last summer’s cleanup.
State workers placed rotenone, a natural pesticide that is deadly to fish but does not harm other wildlife or plants, into the the lake. Some 6,000 fish were removed by the kill, while foreign plants also were removed.
