Aquatic Weed Control at Private Docks
Roaming Shores Lake Management understands that aquatic plants can offer many benefits in our lake, and some native plant growth is essential in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. However, aquatic vegetation can quickly turn into nuisance growth when invasive plant species, most significantly Eurasian watermilfoil, crowd out native species, and thus negatively impact enjoyment of boating, fishing, swimming, and beauty of our lake. Watershed infusion of excessive nutrients over the past several years has exacerbated the problem. Our Board of Directors has received many complaints from residents indicating that weed growth needs attention to help ensure the future of the lake. After much research and review, the following program was approved at our Rome Rock Association meeting on Thursday, March 5, 2020.
Aqua Doc is a well-known, licensed, experienced, and reputable company based in Chardon Ohio. It provides a variety of services throughout the state of Ohio including weed control for both private lake communities and the state of Ohio waterways, including the Metro Parks System and ODNR-managed waterways. Aqua Doc has been approved to provide weed management services for any lakefront property owner who chooses to utilize their services for the 2020 summer season. Please note this is the ONLY aquatic weed treatment permitted in our lake. Private use of herbicides in our lake is prohibited and subject to a $1000 fine.
The services will begin in May and be repeated monthly during June, July and August. Aqua Doc will provide a season cost quotation to each lakefront property owner based upon the length of their lakefront according to County real estate records. Treatments are calculated out 30 feet from dock. The nuisance weeds particularly targeted are those that are submerged and grow to form mats on the water. Algae is not controlled by these products. Contact herbicides will be used which rapidly breakdown into basic carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and are non-detectable after 24 hours. They are approved by the EPA after 10 years of laboratory and field testing by both the EPA and a third party. They are reregistered and tested every 15 years. The products will be applied in low dosages and have been determined by the EPA to be safe for fish and humans. There is no swimming restriction required after application of the products; however, Aqua Doc recommends allowing 1-2 hours of no boating or swimming in the area of application to enhance weed absorption and control effectiveness. Because the products are contact herbicides, lot owners should not use the treated water to irrigate lawns, etc. for 72 hours after application.
We need a minimum of 50 residents to sign up for this service. THIS IS NOT A TREATMENT FOR OUR ENTIRE LAKE! Our lake is 550 acres. Each 50 resident sign up averages .0006% of our total lake. The agreement for this service will be between the property owner and Aqua Doc. Aqua Doc will calculate the total cost for your specific lot in the manner listed earlier. There is no additional markup, and any questions or comments will be between the property owner and Aqua Doc. Please understand, this is not a magic bullet for our lake and will not address the algae issue. It is only weed management and will continue to be augmented by utilizing our weed harvester for channel areas.
An informational meeting originally scheduled for Saturday, April 4, was cancelled because of our Governor’s mandate. In lieu of this we encourage all residents to submit their questions to the association office or email them directly to lake management at romerocklmc@gmail.com.
You may contact the Association office to sign up for this service. Aqua Doc is also sending letters to each lake front property owner informing you of how this will work and providing additional information.
We continue to focus on all aspects of a healthy lake including weed management, aquatic life, sediment control and water quality. Additional programs and activities are being reviewed. Thank you for your interest and your commitment to our entire lake community! This program will be reviewed and evaluated at the end of this year to determine how well it worked for everyone.
We want to thank our Lake Management Committee for their efforts in finding effective, environmentally appropriate, cost effective ways to enhance and preserve the most important asset of our lake community, Lake Roaming Rock. We also want to thank you, the members for your shared commitment to this same cause.
What is a Lake Management Plan
By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee
You may have heard a lot of discussion lately on ‘developing a Lake Management Plan’. But just what is it? According to the North American Lake Management Society, “A lake and/or watershed management plan is a dynamic document that identifies goals and action items for the purpose of creating, protecting and/or maintaining desired conditions in a lake and its watershed for a given period of time.” No two plans are the same. In general they address some or all of the following issues – management of aquatic species, fishery, recreational activities and watersheds as well as protection of shorelines, and water quality. Many of these activities have actually been on-going since the creation of Lake Roaming Rock. You can read about some of those activities from Carolyn Tharp’s excellent history available on the RRA web site. These range from control of shoreline erosion by retaining wall requirements early in the life of the lake to the on-going dredging operations conducted by Dan Mullins and his team. There have also been a number of water quality studies done by several agencies over the years. This body of information allows us to understand many aspects of our lake from vegetation to sediment deposition to water quality.
So, where are we in this process? As in the past, the LMC continues to coordinate testing of the lake for bacteria and toxins. At the same time, the LMC, along with the Environmental Advocacy Club, are working with our consultants and other experts to investigate options to be considered for this plan, with the primary objective of a positive impact on the lake.
A management plan is not necessarily fast. When one is dealing with nearly 54 years of environmental and human impacts on the lake, it is not surprising that it will not be reversed in a few weeks or months. Also, every option has advantages and disadvantages and it is the balance that has the best chance for success. Just remember, we are talking about 2.5 billion gallons of water. With everyone working together, and understanding the importance of the process, we can move forward to ensuring that our lake is something to be enjoyed for years to come.
BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE
Lake Management Survey Results
By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee
A few weeks ago, the Lake Management Committee (LMC) asked the residents of Roaming Shores to participate in an on-line survey. The purpose of this survey was to get everyone’s opinion on issues that may be of concern regarding the health of our lake. To date, we have received 279 replies. First off, we would like to thank everyone who provide their input to this survey.
Of the respondents, only 20% were from residents who do not live directly on the lake. In spite of this, over 70% of those living off the lake still use it for some type of activity. So the importance of the lake is not just a lakefront issue.
Of greatest concern to the respondents was the presence of algae and toxins in the lake. The degree of concern varies based on location and length of stay in the community. Overall, the responses are not dissimilar with those appearing on the news across the country. A recent article in the Plain Dealer discusses the link between farming and manure with the increased appearance of blooms. In response to this, Governor Mike DeWine is implementing a multi-million dollar program – H2Ohio – to address this situation in the western Lake Erie basin.
We are currently evaluating the results of the survey, along with the comments more than half of you supplied. This will take some time. Once completed, the LMC, in coordination with the Board, and external inputs, will be developing a Lake Management Plan. We will keep everyone updated as to the progress towards this end. And, we will need your help as we move forwards.
If you wish to see the results from the Lake Management Survey, a copy will be available on the RRA website. Again thanks to everyone who participated.
BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE
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