BATON ROUGE- The University Lakes are a staple in Baton Rouge. For some, it is the first thing they see when they come to the Capitol Region. 

Some are in very bad shape, but the University Lakes Project is supposed to fix that. 

On Wednesday, crews were dredging part of University Lake, digging out years of debris and filth. The project to improve the quality of the lakes started a few weeks ago.

CEO of the LSU Foundation, Rob Stuart, says right now they are dredging a cove near Stanford Avenue and East Lakeshore Drive to test the dredging methods that will be used on the other lakes. 

Stuart says he is glad that the work has finally started and wants to focus on doing it right. 

"Now, it's really about getting the work done and making sure we do it all, so it actually fulfills on the needs and the dreams of the community," Stuart said. 

While work has begun on University Lake, Stuart says City Park Lake is in really bad shape. 

He says the main reason for that is City Park Lake is the shallowest of the lakes, which is why it has the most algae. Last month dead fish could be seen rotting away as they baked under the scorching summer sun. 

Work to dredge this lake will begin in late fall. 

Stuart says part of the work on City Park Lake will make the water deeper. For those who want to see the improvements on the lakes, Stuart has this message. 

"Be patient...the flow is actually starting now."