Ultrasonic Buoy Deployment Notice

By D.Ernes – Lake Management Committee

At the March and April meetings, it was announced that part of the 2024 Lake Management Plan will be the evaluation of ultrasonic buoys. These buoys use solar panels to power ultrasonic emitters that are suspended in the water. The sound waves disrupt the ability of blue-green algae to rise to the surface, depriving them of the sunlight they need to survive. As a result, they will die and drop to the bottom of the lake. This is a non-chemical alternative to the algaecides we have employed for the past few years and have been shown to be safe to non-target organisms.

The presence of these buoys (about the size of a 50 inch television set) can become an object that boaters will need to be on the look out for. The picture at the right shows what these buoys look like. They are equipped with a US Coast Guard approved flashing beacon for nighttime navigation assistance.

There will be five of these positioned throughout the lake, primarily adjacent to No Wake Zones. We expect that they will be deployed in the next few weeks, in time for the Memorial Day weekend, and the anticipation of high boat traffic volume. Please use every effort to avoid coming in proximity to these buoys. They are expensive to replace. In addition, the lead time for a replacement is about a month, so if they are damaged, that area of the lake will not have any protection from the growth of blue-green algae.

The location for these buoys is as follows:

1. At the dam near the no wake area
2. Mouth of Plum and Sugar Creeks at the start of the No Wake Zone
3. In the Southern end of the lake below the No Wake buoys near Spanish Cove and about a 1000 feet further north.

We need to have these buoys in place for the entire recreational season to evaluate their effectiveness. If we can show that that they work, we can substantially reduce our reliance on chemicals. Thank you for your vigilance.