Mark Holtz Lake
Mark Holtz Lake is a peaceful spot to unwind—perfect for casting a line, enjoying a picnic, or taking a relaxing walk along the water’s edge. This high-visibility dredging project showcased Westra’s strength in blending technical precision with adaptive coordination—listening closely to the City’s needs and delivering meaningful results under pressure while supporting the City’s long-term environmental and cultural goals.
Preserving a Landmark in the Heart of Arlington
Client: City of Arlington
Location: Arlington, Texas
Services: Lake Dredging Plans, Construction Analysis including Staging, Storage, and Truck Access and Route Study, Federal, State and Local Environmental Permitting, Subaquatic Sediment Soil Analysis and Removal Design, Stabilization, Edge Cleanup, and Staging Restoration plans
Located in the heart of Arlington’s Entertainment District, Mark Holtz Lake is one of the City’s most prominent and frequently visited water features. Nestled beside Choctaw Stadium (formerly Globe Life Park) and the new National Medal of Honor Museum, the lake had slowly filled with sediment from upstream erosion—reducing capacity, degrading water quality, and diminishing its visual appeal.
Engineering Response
With the MLB All-Star Game arriving in July 2024 and the Medal of Honor Museum opening just months later, the City needed the lake restored within a tight, highly visible timeframe.
To meet that challenge, Westra Consultants was selected to provide a fast, dependable, and environmentally mindful solution. The team was tasked with:
- Designing dredging plans and securing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approvals
- Managing removal of up to 67,000 cubic yards of sediment
- Implementing a hydraulic dredging system with centrifuge-based dewatering
- Coordinating closely with subconsultants, City staff and contractors under an accelerated 8-month schedule
Westra’s design offered built-in flexibility by including three dredging-volume options in the bid documents, allowing the City to match project scope with budget based on competitive bids.
The project was delivered on time and on budget—ready for the March 2025 grand opening of the Medal of Honor Museum. Restoring Mark Holtz Lake renewed the site’s health and beauty and reaffirmed Arlington’s commitment to maintaining exceptional public spaces as the city continues to grow.
Points of Project Interest
Aquatic plants remained undisturbed along the bank edges to provide natural filtration
Choctaw Stadium
Globe Life Field
AT&T Stadium
Medal of Honor Museum
Location of the temporary dredging equipment and materials storage
Over 60,000 CY of sediment removed from the pond using hydraulic dredging
Project Gallery
Pond Dredging in an Active Entertainment District
This project required careful planning and sequencing to dredge an active pond in the heart of Arlington’s entertainment district. Our engineering approach balanced public safety with continuous operations, resulting in a successful restoration with minimal disruption to the area. The video (provided by our dredging partner Dredgit) highlights the precision and coordination required to execute the work safely in a dense, public setting.