LAKES -- Anglers and campers will see new ground at Banks Lake this summer.

Starting Aug. 1, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will lower Banks Lake by 30 feet to complete about $2 million worth of work at Dry Falls Dam and North Dam.

"It sounds like a lot, but we have a footprint on what it will look like," said Stephanie Utter, manager at the Bureau's Ephrata office. "It's not as bad as it sounds. It's a pretty deep reservoir and it will still have a lot of water in it."

The lake has had only a few major drawdowns: in the 1960s and later for milfoil control in the early to mid-1990s.

The drawdown will allow construction and upgrades for recreational facilities, too.

At Coulee City, for example, plans call for work on the swim beach area and expand boat moorage sites, she said.