Your Tri-Lakes board has been actively pursuing solutions or resolutions to combat the current poor condition of our 3 lakes. The lakes are considered eutrophic, meaning they are rich in nutrients and so supporting a dense plant population, the decomposition of which kills animal life by depriving it of oxygen. This is a severe condition generally observed in lakes much, much older than our lakes. Doing nothing will result in further deterioration of our lakes to the point of greatly reduced property values, loss of plant and animal life and probable loss of usage of the lakes for recreation. Regardless of the reasons for these conditions your board has determined that action must be taken to try to resolve the following:
High algae blooms,
Oxygen loss,
Excessive muck and
Excessive nutrients.
Cutting the weeds is not a solution, just a band aid to help enhance usage of our waters.
We have looked at many different options and new technologies to determine if we may be able to save our lakes from becoming dead zones such as chemical treatments to include:
Copper sulfate,
Mizzen,
Alum,
Dredging and mucking,
Oxygenation with bubblers and aerators,
Turbines, Ultrasonic treatments and other technologies.
We recently tested a nanobubble system from Moleaer at the marina on Lake Arrowhead. The test lasted 2.5 months and the preliminary results are much better than expected and we are awaiting the results of oxygen analysis to determine the full effectiveness of this test. Based on the preliminary results the board voted to move forward with this process allowing for positive results from the remaining sediment analysis. This whole process can be observed on Moleaer’s website www.moleaer.com. We encourage everyone to check out the site for an understanding of this new technology potential.
Concerning the current Tri-Lakes tax bill, as noted in the proposed budget in the August postcard sent out to Tri-Lakes property owners, there is a cost associated with any efforts to clean up our lakes. In 2023 we treated Lake Sherwood with alum to reduce the phosphate content and subsequent nutrients for water clarity, reduce weed growth and reduce algae blooms. The results proved successful and the cost was $197,000 with funds used from our account. We proposed a treatment for Lower Camelot for 2024 at a cost of $242,000 and additional funds for professional fees for people we can rely on for good advice. This was added to the budget in addition to our normal costs for weed harvesting and was approved unanimously at our annual meeting September 2, 2023.
This was the presentation given by Chris Stephan at our annual meeting;
Moleaer_Tri Lakes_Nanobubbles as a Restorative tool for Lake Management_annual mtg presentation
If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
Carl Hasdal
612-751-4779