Carter Lake Restoration Continues!!!!!!

2010 Restoration activities have concluded for the winter. Plans are underway for continued lake development beginning in the Spring of 2011. Watch for more information and updates about restoration plans for 2011.
Please contact Brad Richardson at 847-0542 with any additional questions or concerns.

The Jewel Will Shine Again: Watershed Plan Presented

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Sara Hanson and John Holz from Tetra Tech presented the implementation plan for making the “Jewel on the String of Pearls” glimmer with clarity again. The final recommendations to improve the water quality of Carter Lake were presented to a room filled with approximately 90 interested citizens at the Carter Lake City Hall. The entire cost of the lake restoration project is approximately $6,000,000, and most of the funds have already been earmarked through grants from various state and federal agencies.

Key activities to reduce the phosphorous load on the lake presented by the Tetra Tech Team are:

Creating a 100-acre no-wake zone in the east leg of the lake. This area will be marked with buoys, will not be dredged, and will include additional in-lake wetlands and plant renovations. The east leg of the lake will become an angler’s paradise because power boating will not interfere with the fishermen.
Treating the whole lake with aluminum sulfate (alum) to bind with the phosphorous and draw it to the bottom of lake. This will occur in the early spring during which time the lake will be closed to boating for a couple of weeks. Immediately after the application, the lake will be noticeably clearer. The Carter Lake Preservation Society will be delaying our annual clean up until after the alum treatment.
Renovating the fish in the fall. This will involve killing all the fish and removing them. Before winter, the lake will be restocked with non-bottom feeding fish such as: bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish. The size of the restocked fish will be larger so they will be ready to catch the following spring. Public meetings will be held later this summer to discuss the details of the fish kill.
Stabilizing the shoreline with additional rock and geotubes. Geotubes are “socks filled with dredge material” that will create a buffer zone to protect the shoreline from erosion. No large area dredging will occur, only spot dredging will be done to fill the geotubes and in specific areas that need attention.
Other smaller projects are planned as well as education and public awareness activities so the water quality continues to improve and will be maintained for years to come. Brad Richardson, Carter Lake Watershed Project Coordinator, can provide answers and explain the details about the plan. Brad can be reached at: (712) 347-6320 or email: Brad.Richardson@carterlake-ia.gov. There also is a web site with lake restoration information: www.carterlakewaterquality.com.