Pecks Lake

Pecks Lake was built to provide process water for the smelter and recreation for the smelter community. Until 2003, the Town of Clarkdale leased the lake and surrounding property from the Phelps Dodge Corporation and made it available to the public for fishing and other forms of recreation. However, after the lease expired, Phelps Dodge (later acquired by Freeport-McMoRan) closed the property to the public. The lake is becoming eutrophic, choked with aquatic plants, including invasive water lilies and Eurasian milfoil. Peck's Lake supports populations of northern pike, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, and sunfish but no native fish species. ==Land-use debate==

In April 2010, Sustainable Clarkdale, an advocacy group, recommended that the Town of Clarkdale buy Pecks Lake and its surrounds from Freeport-McMoRan. The parcel, also known as Verde Valley Ranch, could then become home, the group said, to a variety of projects related to energy production (particularly solar, biomass, and plasma gasification), recreation, water purification, and commercial development—all with as little negative environmental impact as possible. The project would be known as the Clarkdale Sustainability Park. Town officials said they would consider siting the Park elsewhere and that they hoped that Freeport-McMoRan would eventually agree to public ownership of Verde Valley Ranch and remediation of Pecks Lake. ==See also==