Dear Barnes Lake Management District Members:
The 2011 Barnes Lake Steering Committee work plan and operating budget have been approved by the Tumwater City Council. These plans, as well as meeting minutes, annual treatment reports and other informative materials are posted on the City’s LMD website, for your reference.
Our contractor, Northwest Aquatic Eco-Systems, continues to conduct aquatic weed treatments to control the lily pads on the lake. Shoreline treatments will also be undertaken to eradicate noxious weeds and to maintain brush-free access points along residential shorelines. Once access points are identified and cleared, areas can then be sprayed to promote open access to the main water body. Northwest Aquatic Eco-Systems has requested that lakefront owners interested in shoreline treatments along their property’s shoreline contact them as soon as possible so that treatment efforts can be coordinated as efficiently as possible. Contact Doug Dorling via email: pondweeds@comcast.net.
THE LMD NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Of concern to all of us are the floating mats that have emerged, as expected, due to the decomposing vegetation resulting from the treatment of the lily pads. We have been exploring a number of options to remove these mats, including mechanical and manual removal, lifting by helicopter and building a ramp at the end of the Mega Foods/Walgreens property to provide lake access and haul away the debris. These strategies are complicated and do not appear to be cost-effective at this time.
The current strategy, expected to get underway in the next few weeks, is to use collection equipment at a property along Daisy Lane to lift mats out of the water and place them nearby for dewatering prior to being hauled away.
The LMD needs your help to find other properties suitable for heavier equipment, such as a backhoe and dump truck, to reach near the shoreline. If you are interested in providing the LMD access to your property, please contact Doug Dorling at
pondweeds@comcast.net as soon as possible.
As always, any questions or concerns can be directed to the Steering Committee members listed below or by calling Dan Smith, Water Resources Program Manager, at (360) 754-4140. As a reminder, the LMD owns a weed rake and cutter that are available for check-out by LMD members. Please contact Dan Smith for information.
Thank you for your continued support our community’s efforts to improve Barnes Lake.
Sincerely,
Barnes Lake Management District Steering Committee
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