Milfoil: We had a spectacular July this year....unfortunately it happened in September. After that on-again, off-again summer weather, the approach to fall was marked by the best stretch of weather all year. And that warm September enabled Bre Grabil and the Professional Lake Management crew to effectively apply Eurasian Water Milfoil treatment to 7 acres along the dropoff of the south shore of the lake on October 3rd. The weather turned shortly thereafter.
Most LHLA members were gone by the time DEQ had the permission slip form approved. And while we had a signed permission slip from Watervale’s owners to treat the entire area of shoreline from the South end, around the Bay, along Boo-Hoo and the Outlet, and finishing at the south end of Camp Lookout property, the DEQ said it needed additional paperwork about ownership to do anything more than just the immediate area around the Watervale Resort property and a few adjacent year-rounder houses that had signed newly-designed permission slips. SO....
There is a special section that Mark Smith and PLM have put together for LHLA members which explains the EWM issue very thoroughly, and on page 7 of this newsletter there’s a permission slip (yes, it IS different from the Phragmites slip) which PLM needs you to sign to get the requisite permit for spraying the rest of LHL next spring.
“This is not, unfortunately, a “one-and-done” event. The LHLA membership approved expenditures for both last year”s initial study (the map of EWM areas around the lake are shown above) and the initial treatment plan as well as this year’s treatment. Actual treatment began last year and has continued this year. And we will have to be vigilant against regrowth every year thereafter for spot treatments. But we are acting aggressively to control this pernicious invasive. EWM can positively and quickly ruin a lake like ours if we don’t.
High Lake Water: This year has been one in which high water on the “Big Lake”, coupled with lots of high wind/high wave days, has caused continuing damage to property and homes for riparian LHLA members. Based on what we know to date (end of summer) at least two homes have suffered damage resulting in costs north of $10,000 for remediation and repair.. in addition, many if not most of the riparian shoreline has been negatively
impacted by high water. The DNR came out last spring and fixed some damage at one of the access sites. As noted elsewhere on this site, the LHLA Board, aided by summer resident Sarah Delavan, is seeking a five-year maintenance permit to insure we can keep the
outlet open in accordance with DEQ/USCE regulations.