A $117 million cleanup of Machado Lake and the Wilmington Drain in the Harbor Area was approved Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council as part of a sweeping package of citywide water quality improvement projects.

Under pressure to take steps to clean urban runoff and improve water quality, council members unanimously approved spending more than $230 million -- about half of the $500 million from the Proposition O bond measure approved by voters in 2004 -- on projects ranging from cleaning up lakes to dealing with storm drain runoff.

The vote launches a broad effort to clean up water pollution and urban runoff while looking for ways to increase the amount of park and green space in the city.

"This is an important first step for us to take,'' council President Eric Garcetti said. "With voters' approval of Proposition O, they gave us the means and the mandate to clean up Los Angeles' water system."

Included in the package is $99.5 million for Machado Lake, the local landmark noted for being home to Reggie the alligator, who has successfully avoided capture. That will be combined with a $17 million cleanup of the Wilmington Drain that connects to the lake, running between Lomita Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway.

"This is the single most important project in this park's history," said Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "We're getting $117 million to do what needs to be done at that lake, to clean it up, remove trash, improve the Wilmington Drain, put in new picnic areas and there's even talk of an off-leash dog park."

Wednesday's vote provides an immediate $13 million for the Machado Lake and Wilmington Drain projects, with the balance to be set aside for when a final master plan is in place.

"Maybe now we'll be able to find Reggie and learn what happened to him," Hahn said. "I think he probably died from living in the pollution there."

Other local projects include $6.1 million for drainage improvements, trail enhancements and vegetation at Peck Park Canyon in San Pedro and $4.8 million for drainage and field improvements to address flooding problems at Rosecrans Park in Harbor Gateway.

A previous allocation of Proposition O funds in 2006 included $8 million to help clean up Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.

"What's exciting about this is that the project is meeting all the goals of the local neighborhood council," Hahn said. "It is an example of what can happen when we work together."

Local environmentalists have been working for years to clean up Machado Lake in Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, which straddles the border of Wilmington and Harbor City.

A bird-watchers paradise 40 years ago, the 53-acre lake and 230-acre park have fallen prey to garbage, bacteria and invasive species over the years.

"We're so thrilled," said Martin Byhower of the new funding. "I think 20 years of my life has gone toward this. It's been my second job -- not paid."

Byhower, a life science teacher at Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, leads monthly nature walks in the park and is vice president of the park's advisory board.

Plans include dredging and deepening the lake, creating sediment basins and restoring natural habitat.

"Nesting" islands for native habitat could be created within the lake, Byhower said. The expenditure also opens the way for other park improvements such as creating an on-site nature center, he said.

The proposal includes installing trash capture mechanisms and water pollution control devices and restoring natural banks along the drain, the channel that was the original natural water source for the lake. It's all designed to improve the health of the lake and provide more beauty and recreation for park visitors.

"The idea is to make it accessible to the local community and make it clean and nice so it will be open for more educational and recreational uses," Byhower said.

Construction is tentatively set to begin in 2008 for the Wilmington Drain and in 2010 for Machado Lake, Byhower said.

Hahn said the work should be finished by 2012.

The citywide bond issue is considered a down payment on what has been estimated as an $8 billion problem facing the city as it strives to meet federal clean-up goals. Officials said they hope to use the bond issue to generate an additional $300 million in federal and state grants.

City officials have been critical of the amount of time it has taken to identify and fund the projects.

"Since I was elected in 2001, I have been looking for ways to clean up areas of my district," Hahn said. "This funding will allow us to revitalize areas of our city."

donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com