casean
06-17-2004, 12:21 PM
Does anyone think this will help?
From todays Press-Enterprise:
Lake Elsinore management tries a stirring approach to water health
01:38 AM PDT on Thursday, June 17, 2004
By EMMA SCHWARTZ / The Press-Enterprise
Water skis and motorboats won't be the only objects stirring up Lake Elsinore this summer.
Next month, 20 propellers will begin churning the waters in an effort to cut down on the rampant algae growth that has clouded the lake and triggered large-scale fish die-offs.
While there is no guarantee that the machines will get the desired results, one official said the program would go a long way toward improving the lake.
"It will make it more attractive and increase recreational use," said Mark Norton, administrator for the Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto Watersheds Authority, which oversees several local bodies of water.
The $1.7 million project is part of a series of moves by the watersheds authority to improve the lake. Through a $15 million state grant, the agency has fixed three nearby wells to pump more water into the lake. And, Norton said, it has taken 1 million carp out of the lake to help cut down on algae, which produces carbon dioxide as it decomposes. In high concentrations, the gas can suffocate fish.
Now in the final stage of construction, five yellow docks are floating in the center of the lake. Workers soon will install the underwater propellers and wire the docks to a power source.
The slow-moving propellers - they only rotate four to five times per minute - will work around the clock, creating currents that will stir 30,000 gallons of water a minute.
Moving the water around will help the lake's carp get more oxygen. Pushing more oxygen to the bottom of the lake is also expected to cut down on algae growth, Norton said.
In the past decade, the lake has seen a number of fish die-offs that have hurt local businesses.
Kathy Lohmann, manager of a water sports shop, said that when about 90 tons of dead carp swept onto the lake's shores in August, clients canceled rentals.
"We've gotten such a bad rep. People don't want to come down here anymore," Lohmann said.
The oxygen propellers, however, are only the first part of system. A second stage is expected to add two compressors to pump air into the lake.
But it's unclear when or if that part of the project will go forward. The authority has enough funds for construction, Norton said, but the city is required to pay for ongoing operations at the lake and might not be able to bear the additional cost.
Running the propellers is expected to total about $160,000 a year, he said; the second stage would quadruple that.
The board will have to move quickly, Norton said, because the authority's state funds will dry up by 2006.
"We're getting down to the wire," Norton said.
Even if the new pumps don't fully clear up the water, residents and business owners are seeing signs that the lake is already turning around.
MJs' Sea Doo water bike rentals recently opened along the lake. Owner Matt Macy says there is already less debris in the lake.
"My customers, they're really happy," Macy said.
From todays Press-Enterprise:
Lake Elsinore management tries a stirring approach to water health
01:38 AM PDT on Thursday, June 17, 2004
By EMMA SCHWARTZ / The Press-Enterprise
Water skis and motorboats won't be the only objects stirring up Lake Elsinore this summer.
Next month, 20 propellers will begin churning the waters in an effort to cut down on the rampant algae growth that has clouded the lake and triggered large-scale fish die-offs.
While there is no guarantee that the machines will get the desired results, one official said the program would go a long way toward improving the lake.
"It will make it more attractive and increase recreational use," said Mark Norton, administrator for the Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto Watersheds Authority, which oversees several local bodies of water.
The $1.7 million project is part of a series of moves by the watersheds authority to improve the lake. Through a $15 million state grant, the agency has fixed three nearby wells to pump more water into the lake. And, Norton said, it has taken 1 million carp out of the lake to help cut down on algae, which produces carbon dioxide as it decomposes. In high concentrations, the gas can suffocate fish.
Now in the final stage of construction, five yellow docks are floating in the center of the lake. Workers soon will install the underwater propellers and wire the docks to a power source.
The slow-moving propellers - they only rotate four to five times per minute - will work around the clock, creating currents that will stir 30,000 gallons of water a minute.
Moving the water around will help the lake's carp get more oxygen. Pushing more oxygen to the bottom of the lake is also expected to cut down on algae growth, Norton said.
In the past decade, the lake has seen a number of fish die-offs that have hurt local businesses.
Kathy Lohmann, manager of a water sports shop, said that when about 90 tons of dead carp swept onto the lake's shores in August, clients canceled rentals.
"We've gotten such a bad rep. People don't want to come down here anymore," Lohmann said.
The oxygen propellers, however, are only the first part of system. A second stage is expected to add two compressors to pump air into the lake.
But it's unclear when or if that part of the project will go forward. The authority has enough funds for construction, Norton said, but the city is required to pay for ongoing operations at the lake and might not be able to bear the additional cost.
Running the propellers is expected to total about $160,000 a year, he said; the second stage would quadruple that.
The board will have to move quickly, Norton said, because the authority's state funds will dry up by 2006.
"We're getting down to the wire," Norton said.
Even if the new pumps don't fully clear up the water, residents and business owners are seeing signs that the lake is already turning around.
MJs' Sea Doo water bike rentals recently opened along the lake. Owner Matt Macy says there is already less debris in the lake.
"My customers, they're really happy," Macy said.