Water Quality & Aeration System Update February 2022
We continue to engage with Clean-Flo, our lake water management company, to improve the quality of the lake. This fall they conducted another scan of the lake bottom and provided a great comparison to a scan performed in 2018. Updated technology and algorithms were used to read both scans and provide an even more accurate comparison of the materials found on the lake bottom.
The image to the left is from the 2021 scan. The lighter color on the image indicates a softer makeup of the lake bottom. The tan color indicates a soft material like the sediment and muck that the aeration system was installed to reduce. The darker colors like orange and reds indicate harder bottoms like sand and gravel/rock.
As you will see when comparing the above image to the image on the right from 2018, the results are quite remarkable. The system is clearly working to reduce the soft sediment across the lake.
Below is a summary from Brian Kling from Clean-Flo:
“In comparing those 2 maps, there has been considerable progress made on reducing the soft sediment. The 2018 map contained a lot of very light coloring which is soft and the 2021 has some very light coloring but considerably less. We typically see the bottom get harder over time in lakes that are running our system and dosing with our enzymes. Additional reductions of soft organic material will likely continue if the system remains operating 24/7/365 and additional enzyme treatments are performed.”
Regarding the placement of the aerators in the water, Clean Flo is also using this scan to make recommendations on the locations and depth of the aerators. We expect to make those changes in the spring when it is possible to make such adjustments.
Thanks again to everyone for your ongoing support of the NLIA and our efforts to improve the quality of the lake. We understand that not everyone will agree with the decision keep the aeration system running but the data is clear, it is working. There are no quick fixes for the issues we continue to face in improving the overall ecological status of the lake and surrounding area, however,
we are making progress