JERSEYVILLE – Wock Lake in Jerseyville will soon look slightly different as a narrow “horseshoe” land mass at the site is set to be removed starting next month.
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Jerseyville City Council members unanimously approved the notice of a bid award for “Wock Lake earthwork, dredging, and related improvements” at last week’s meeting on Jan. 20, 2026.
Mayor Kevin Stork said this dredging work would include clearing out the narrow “horseshoe” land mass which has been at Wock Lake since its creation.
“When Wock Lake was made, there was a horseshoe out there with the intent of extra space to fish from, but that has deteriorated, is eroding, and is becoming a safety hazard,” Stork said. “The dredging would clear that out.”
The issue was previously raised in April of 2025, when Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Hermens said the narrow strip of land was becoming unsafe for visitors and park maintenance crews alike.
“The horseshoe land mass there in the middle used to be wide enough to get out there and mow and maintain, but … it’s too narrow to maintain safely,” Hermens said at the time. “The water’s starting to undercut the banks, so people could fall either through or in the water.”
At last week’s meeting, Public Works Director Bob Manns said the city chose to bid out the project since it falls outside the scope of routine maintenance normally performed with the city’s own manpower and equipment.
Of the two bids received, the lowest was $56,641.35 from Widman Construction, which was awarded the project bid. Manns said this work on Wock Lake is expected to begin as soon as February of 2026.
