COLUMBUS – Ohio State says it’s restoring Mirror Lake to a more natural state as part of the restoration of an older area of campus.
The university also reaffirmed its commitment to ending the tradition of students jumping into Mirror Lake the night before the Michigan football game.
That tradition turned deadly last year when a 22-year-old student died from accidental trauma to the head and neck caused by diving into shallow water during the jump, which drew thousands of other students.
The university says the lake is polluted and leaks, needs constant maintenance and wastes thousands of gallons of water a day.
The restoration announced Tuesday will return the iconic lake to “a more natural and sustainable state” (right) with improved stormwater management. It will require fewer chemical water treatments and will increase the area’s overall biodiversity, said executive vice president and provost Bruce McPheron.
The $4 million restoration of the lake is part of the $64 million project to update the Mirror Lake District, including Browning Amphitheater and Oxley and Pomerene Halls (see above).
The area is being is being renovated to create a learning environments for students and faculty in data analytics, linguistics and the history of art that is more modern while retaining the area’s ambience and appearance as an early area of campus.
The project is scheduled for completion by spring 2018.