Algae status updates 9-1-10
Substantial progress has been made, but a few severe problem areas remain. A combination of massive numbers of volunteer hours plus recently favorable winds has resulted in dramatic improvements on the West side of Keys Blvd. While the East side has improved, there is a long way to go.
The good news is that algae have stopped flowing in from the main body of the lake. The East channel has been blocked with a boom, and the lake is low enough so that the channel entrance at the RV Park is no longer a problem. Dennis Locke is continuing to work with the county on securing permits to boom that area off should future outbreaks occur.
Left behind is a massive amount of dead algae in the Blue Heron and Island Circle area plus a large amount at the end of Shoreview. Some combination of harvester work with (probably) fire hoses will be necessary to dislodge this buildup. Care is being taken to remove as much as possible, rather than simply breaking it up and sinking it.
A number of residents have called and written me regarding the inaction on the part of the county. While I note that residents of Clearlake, and area hit even harder than the Keys, are currently trying to bypass the county government and go directly to various federal agencies, our relationship with the county has improved greatly in the past few weeks. Four of us met with our supervisor Denise Rushing last week, and the meeting was very productive. Denise has agreed to begin an algae-related emergency planning process with the Lake County Board of Supervisors, with the process beginning on September 28th. Dennis Locke has been meeting with Scott DeLeon, Lake County’s Director of Water Resources, looking for both short and long term solutions to our problems.
It’s important to remember the massive number of volunteer hours that have gone into fighting this problem. Volunteers have been on the water 8 – 12 hours every day, and this schedule is taking a toll on both the volunteers and our boats. We’ve looked at the possibility of contract assistance, but the cost is prohibitive. The tens of thousands of dollars necessary to fund a contract effort would mean a special assessment in addition to the current $53 per year. That election process would be both expensive and long term, and the outcome is questionable given the large numbers of foreclosed and bank-owned properties in the Keys.