Sept & Oct Lake Mangement Committee Report

Lake Management Committee
by Richard D. Gainar, CEBS
Chairman, LMC

August and September were very busy months for the Lake Management Committee (LMC). As you may remember, three sub-committees were created in August in order to 1) attract more residents so that work on several complicated subjects can be done simultaneously, and 2) take advantage of the many professional disciplines our residents have to offer. Significant attention will be paid to water quality on the Lake Sediment Control Sub-Committee and Lake Level Control Sub-Committee as well as to improving water depth in our back coves on the Lake Depth Control Sub-Committee. I am happy to report that a total of 19 residents are now working on the committees – a much larger number than the one or two member LMC’s of previous administrations. These committee members are from a variety of disciplines (including engineering, construction, biology, science, business, and many others) and are eager to work to improve our lake. Residents who are not able to attend these committee meetings can find each meeting’s minutes published on our web site and can direct any questions or concerns to the sub-committee chairmen at each Association meeting.

The Lake Sediment Committee worked to develop a methodology and a database to contain all professional collected information from previously commissioned studies and data in order to make good, evidence-based decisions. Their focus will be on excess nutrients and algae to start.
The Lake Level Control Committee decided to work on two projects in the coming months. The first involves creating a “model siphon” using a garden hose installed near the principal spillway in order to collect water samples from lake bottom. This project would allow samples to be tested all year, including through the ice, to obtain a full year’s data. This important data will provide evidence of the water’s chemistry before discharging from a siphon Spillway into the river below.

The Lake Depth Control Sub-Committee was busy designing a scoop-dredging rig we can use on the lake for many years. Already, two track hoes were recently purchased from available funds. In October’s meeting, the committee announced its plans for a 3-phased approach to dredging. Digging a basin to trap incoming sediment in the back of major coves is already underway. These sediment basins created in Phase #1 will be cleared on a regular basis. Phase #2 will begin this summer with the dredging of the channel in Fisherman’s Cove. There we expect to work the kinks out of our “scoop rig” operations (currently and successfully used at Lake Lakengrin) in Fisherman’s Cove before proceeding to the river channel in Rock Creek. All other coves river channels will follow the dredging of Rock Creek channel in order of need as defined in the 2010 EnviroScience Sediment Survey. This way, all cove residents will benefit from some improved depth before we move on to Phase #3 which involves returning to the larger coves in order to widen the area cleared in Phase #2.
In addition to the sub-committee meetings, our lake water testing program results were posted on the web site so residents can see the lab results. So far, the levels of various blue-green algal toxins were below any level of concern defined by the Ohio EPA.

Marty Hilovsky, our consultant from EnviroScience, on his second visit to our lake last month, met with our LMC leaders to discuss our lake management plans. He believes our program is “on the right path”. Marty tested the water’s clarity, sampled from various depths for algae toxins, phosphorus and other nutrients, and measured oxygen at various temperatures. These tests will be repeated by your Lake Management Committee and the results will be used by the various LMC sub-committees and for historic purposes.

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