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Lake Management Reports Island, Lower Long, Forest Lakes. June 7 th , 2012. LakePro Services. Water Quality Testing. All three lakes are tested for the same parameters:. Temperature Transparency pH Total Dissolved Solids Conductivity Salinity Alkalinity Dissolved Oxygen. Nitrate
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Lake Management ReportsIsland, Lower Long, Forest Lakes June 7th, 2012
Water Quality Testing • All three lakes are tested for the same parameters: • Temperature • Transparency • pH • Total Dissolved Solids • Conductivity • Salinity • Alkalinity • Dissolved Oxygen • Nitrate • Phosphate • Total Phosphorus • Chloride • Fluoride • Sulfate • Chlorophyll-a
Water Quality Testing • Island Lake has additional tests for nutrients. • Forest Lake has additional tests for salinity • Generally, all three lakes have above average water quality. • Salts accumulate as they move downstream, so Forest Lake is impaired with salt. • Island Lake is taking steps to reduce nutrient loading in the lake, which would eventually move downstream.
Lake Management • Forest and Island Lakes • Lake Management Services include: • Play an active role in consulting with the Riparians to aid the decision-making process. • Contractor oversight (Harvesting, Herbicides) • Meeting support
Herbicide Applications • Island Lake In 2011, LakePro became the herbicide applicator for Island Lake. We were very aggressive in targeting Eurasian Watermilfoil with systemic herbicides. In 2012, LakePro and Island Lake completed a whole-lake treatment for Eurasian Watermilfoil. The treatment was very successful in eliminating the EWM so harvesting could start this week with no concerns.
What’s so bad about EWM? • Swimming, boating, and fishing are hindered by EWM’s thick canopy. • The thick canopy becomes unsightly when it breaches the surface, reducing “visual” water quality. • Reduced water circulation and reduced sunlight penetration degrade “chemical” water quality. • EWM outcompetes native plants, reducing the biodiversity of the ecosystem, degrading “biological” water quality.
Herbicide Applications • Forest Lake Forest Lake contracts Aqua-Weed Control for algicide/herbicide treatments in the canals only. In 2012, as a pilot project, Aqua-Weed applied systemic herbicides to two 1-acre acres on the main body for the lake for Eurasian Milfoil. This treatment effectively controlled the EWM in the test areas so that it would not be harvested.
Shoreline Restoration Island Lake • In 2010, Progressive AE identified nutrient loading and erosion of the islands as major threats to the health of Island Lake. • What happens in Island Lake will eventually spill over into Lower Long Lake, then Forest Lake, then FLCC, then the Rouge River. • In 2011, LakePro and Island Lake created a plan to stabilize the island shorelines and establish plant communities to address these threats.
Shoreline Restoration Island Lake • The plan consisted of two parts: Bio-engineering of the island shorelines and establishing healthy plant communities at the inlets. • Bio-engineering uses “soft”, biodegradable materials to protect and stabilize a shoreline. (Coir Logs, Erosion Control Blankets). • In order for the bio-engineering to be successful, a healthy plant community is necessary to provide root structure to further stabilize the shoreline.
Shoreline Restoration Island Lake • In order to establish native plant communities, we used a combination of seed mix and live plants to plant the inlet areas and within the bio-engineered shoreline. • The plants used will provide root structure to stabilize the shoreline. • Equally important, the plants will use nutrients and filter pollutants as they enter the lake, improving the overall water quality of the lake and the watershed.
