Few subjects are more controversial in Lake County than the relative health of Clear Lake.
Some people say the lake is dead and others claim the condition of the lake is having a negative impact on tourism. Yet others want to leave the lake alone.
The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that the lake has plenty of aquatic weeds and algae. How to get rid of the weeds and algae attracts a wide array of solutions ranging from dredging the lake to a depth 60 feet or more to eliminating all the vineyards in the county. The problem is everyone wants a quick solution to an age-old problem.
Part of the problem is that the human population continues to grow all around the country and with this growth problems arise, whether you live in New York or Lake County. A hundred years ago the shores of Clear Lake were mostly made up of tules, which provided a natural filter to the lake. As humans settled on the shores of the lake the tules where removed. Today most of the shoreline has beaches and homes and no tules.
Down through the years the nutrients from septic tanks and other manmade causes such as farming, grading and stream runoffs have supplied a rich environment for weeds and algae. Clear Lake has always been a shallow lake, which makes ideal conditions for aquatic growth.
Let”s look at a few facts about Clear Lake:
— It is not a dead lake. In fact, the lake is a virtual living creature with its abundant fish and wildlife. There are dozens of different species of fish and thousands of species of insects and other life. Clear Lake is said to be at least a million years old and many scientists considered it the oldest lake in North America. Like any natural body of water it will have wild swings in plant and marine life.
— Would dredging cure the algae and weed problem? Just about every geologist will tell you that dredging Clear Lake to a depth of 60 or more feet would be a momentous task and would take decades to accomplish. In fact, it would take at least 10 years to receive permission from the state and federal authorities to undertake such a drastic operation. The big problem is what to do with the silt dredged up. It would have to be trucked out of state and would take years to accomplish.
A few people believe the silt could be sold as fertilizer or as a byproduct for other uses. Unfortunately, much of that silt contains mercury, which means it couldn”t be sold or used. Of course, dredging the lake would also cost the county millions of dollars and no one has suggested where that money would come from.
There is also the suggestion that the algae could be harvested and sold. There was even a rumor going around a few years ago that a Japanese firm wanted to harvest the algae but was turned down by the Lake County Board of Supervisors. That was just a rumor. To my knowledge no Japanese firm ever offered to take the algae.
— The suggestion of removing all the vineyards located around the lake will never happen and that”s just the reality of the situation.
Agriculture is a vital part of the county”s economy and Lake County is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the state. Don”t think for a moment that an individual who has millions invested in a 400-acre vineyard would allow the county to remove it without a fight. It would be tied up in the courts for years.
What should happen is that the county should closely monitor run-offs from the vineyards to make sure they don”t add unwanted nutrients to the lake. What has to be remembered is that nutrients from farming and other causes has been filtering into the lake for at least 100 years and even if all the vineyards were eliminated overnight the nutrients would still be there.
There are many positive things being done to keep the lake clean and attractive. The Lake County Water Resources Department”s aquatic weed harvesting program is only in its second year but it has made a big difference, especially concerning weed growth, in certain areas. The county is also studying different methods to lessen the amount of nuisance algae during the summer months. Middle Creek restoration Project, which would restore the wetlands on Middle Creek, is one of them.
All this will take some time as there is no quick fix when it comes to Mother Nature.
