November Lake Management Committee Report

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

The Lake Depth Improvement Sub-Committee workshop meeting was held on October 28 in the Clubhouse to discuss the details of our Dredge Plan. Members of this committee made a formal presentation to approximately 75 residents in attendance that asked many good questions and commented on their concerns. The Committee’s slide presentation and handouts are currently available on our website for those who weren’t able to attend.

The Dredge Plan has 3 phases. In-lake sediment traps will first be excavated in the back of 10 major coves to first limit additional sediment from entering the lake. Professional lake studies have historically advised us to control incoming sediment before dredging for obvious reasons. This initial phase of the operation is currently underway and will be completed by this spring. The second phase involves dredging the river channels in major coves where river channel water depth is less than 5 feet. The third phase repeats this process removing sediment beyond the river channels. The total cost of phases 1 & 2 of the Dredge Plan is less than $350,000 and will be completed in about 2 years starting next spring.

Presentations by the committee members and our EnviroScience consultant, Martin A. Hilovsky, dispelled a number of misconceptions about the relationship between water quality and dredging. One of the most significant things residents learned at the meeting was that removing sediment from shallow coves, either hydraulic or mechanical, does little to improve water quality – it merely improves water depth. Your Lake Management Committee’s plans focus spending of your dollars on activities that actually improve our lake water quality. Accordingly, the presentation also included a discussion on activities of the other two LMC sub-committees that are charged with improving water quality (Lake Sediment/Nutrient Control Sub-Committee and the Lake Level Control Sub-Committee). The objective of our Dredge Plan is simply to restore lake access to those cove residents that once had such access.

Although the Dredge Plan presented was much less costly than the previous plan, it is also slower to remove sediment. Several residents were concerned about the mounting sediment buildup even though it doesn’t contribute to water quality issues. The Dredge Plan addresses this issue in its first phase of operations. Significant sediment traps are currently being dug from shore in all major coves and will be expanded during phase #2 operations within the lake. The goal here is to stop additional sediment from further accumulations. With incoming sediment controlled, we can take our time (and spend much less money) to remove sediment that has already entered the lake.

Another misconception discussed involved the fact that, due to liability concerns, no Association sponsored dredge operation, whether hydraulic or mechanical, should operate within 30 feet of any resident’s docks. Any movement of lake soil, either real or imagined, near the shoreline may inspire some residents to sue the Association for damages, and the Association is advised against accepting such a risk. That means that regardless of the dredging plan, residents will need to hire a contractor to clear sediment close to their dock. Some residents asked that if proper waivers were obtained from interested residents, could the Association act as an insured contractor using our scoop-dredging rig to clear dock areas. We will investigate this suggestion.

Although your current Lake Management Sub-Committees (19 current members) are only 3 months old, I’m sure you will agree that considerable planning and progress has already been made. In addition to being critical, these members also invest their time and best efforts to work on evidence-based solutions to water quality issues.