It’s been said by decision makers, the goal is to make Clear Lake clear again.
After all, recent NASA pictures from space show a very green lake. In Part 1 [March 13] we discussed that the real goal should be to minimize smelly cyanobacteria blooms. Some blooms can even be dangerous to pets. This is what drives away tourists, supports some out of county bad press and turns your water skiing legs green.
Historical research indicates that a significant uptick of sediment input followed the introduction of heavy equipment for mines, roads and grading beginning in the 1930s, really fueled the problem. A 95% removal of wetlands that naturally settled out the phosphorus-laden sediment followed in the 1940’s until today. Now we have a legacy of phosphorus recycling from bottom sediments in the lake fueling blooms during the summer. The stated path is to recover the Middle Creek wetlands as a settling basin for new sediments, but the recycling phosphorus also needs to be addressed.
Developing a lake and basin management plan to achieve a good lake nutrient balance will require additional methods that directly reduce phosphorus levels already in the lake. But also important is determining the natural rates and methods of input, loss and lockup processes and developing a baseline to measure against. Good plans use a benchmark to keep score.
The ongoing Middle Creek Marsh Restoration to settle out the majority of incoming sediments has so-far been a 20 year project that is getting close to starting design work. But locating high phosphorus hot spots in the lake and applying known lockup reduction techniques will speed up the internal recycling problem toward a balanced lake ecosystem.
With all this, yes a well-informed goal can be achieved: a productive but sometimes murky lake and clean legs when waterskiing.
Jim Steele is a former Lake County Supervisor, retired State Water Quality Scientist, Fish Habitat Restoration Manager, Registered Professional Forester and environmental consultant.
After all, recent NASA pictures from space show a very green lake. In Part 1 [date reference?] we discussed that the real goal should be to minimize smelly cyanobacteria blooms. Some blooms can even be dangerous to pets. This is what drives away tourists, supports some out of county bad press and turns your water skiing legs green.
Historical research indicates that a significant uptick of sediment input followed the introduction of heavy equipment for mines, roads and grading beginning in the 1930’s, really fueled the problem. A 95% removal of wetlands that naturally settled out the phosphorus-laden sediment followed in the 1940’s until today. Now we have a legacy of phosphorus recycling from bottom sediments in the lake fueling blooms during the summer. The stated path is to recover the Middle Creek wetlands as a settling basin for new sediments, but the recycling phosphorus also needs to be addressed.
Developing a lake and basin management plan to achieve a good lake nutrient balance will require additional methods that directly reduce phosphorus levels already in the lake. But also important is determining the natural rates and methods of input, loss and lockup processes and developing a baseline to measure against. Good plans use a benchmark to keep score.
The ongoing Middle Creek Marsh Restoration to settle out the majority of incoming sediments has so-far been a 20 year project that is getting close to starting design work. But locating high phosphorus hot spots in the lake and applying known lockup reduction techniques will speed up the internal recycling problem toward a balanced lake ecosystem.
With all this, yes a well-informed goal can be achieved: a productive but sometimes murky lake and clean legs when waterskiing.
Jim Steele is a former Lake County Supervisor, retired State Water Quality Scientist, Fish Habitat Restoration Manager, Registered Professional Forester and environmental consultant.
