The Echo Park Lake is a lake and urban park in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally built in the 1860s as a reservoir for drinking water, today Echo Park Lake is a Los Angeles icon that functions primarily as a detention basin in the city's storm drain system, while providing recreational benefits and wildlife habitat. Echo Park Lake also hosts community events, such as the annual Lotus Festival every July. A major renovation was completed in 2013. Beginning in 2019, a homeless encampment developed the shores of the lake that became a "flashpoint in L.A's homelessness crisis."