That place has been and still is disgusting, in the summertime the shit covering the boardwalk from all the geese make it impossible to walk along. For homeowners out there, yeah it will suck if they drain it and never replace it. I never understood why those houses went for so damn much anyways, even to rent out there is asinine. I have heard from a lot of older folks that during the 70's and 80's you couldn't give a house away out there, then suddenly they were million dollar properties. I can't tell you the last time I have fished, swam or even boated out on Buckeye Lake and it's because of knowing just how nasty the water is.
Buckeye Lake as a little town will be more dead than it already is. Even with the lake there, nothing survives and really nothing is there outside of a Creno's, Pizza Cottage and Gas Station. There used to be a pretty decent sized truck stop, but that folded up shop a few years ago and just sits as an empty lot now. They should put a casino there honestly.
With all of this said, I have been reading stuff from other local residents that say they don't feel it's going to be drained. Rather the media is just picking up on that part of the story and feeding it to everyone. Maybe they will drain it, repair it and start over fresh, this time not allowing it to get to the level of nastiness that it is currently at.