Wednesday, October 18th | 6:30–8:30pm Indian Lake Community Church Lighthouse 121 North Orchard Island Road Russells Point
Featured speaker: Dr. Jennifer Jones of Restorative Lake Services
PROJECT UPDATES
DREDGE PLANNING WORKING GROUP In the Spring of 2023 the ILWP Board formed a Dredge Planning Working Group with the goal to create a locally driven dredge plan. In June 2023, on the recommendation of this Working Group, the Indian Lake Watershed Project Board hired dredge consultant and professional geologist Peter Berrini of Berrini & Associates, LLC. Mr. Berrini is advising the Working Group on developing a dredge plan for Indian Lake. In addition to the dredge plan, Mr. Berrini will be creating a scope of work for a bathymetry and sediment depth survey to specifically identify impaired areas. This sediment depth survey will include tributaries and recreational access channels across the entire lake. The results from this sediment depth survey will be shared with ODNR and members of the Ohio Legislature. This methodical approach will be used to secure funding for privatized dredging of Indian Lake in the coming years.
IMPROVING WATER QUALITY The ILWP Board of directors has partnered with ODNR through a grant from the H2Ohio Project to create at least two wetlands within the State Park Campgrounds. Campground and upstream runoff will be routed through these wetlands for sediment and nutrient reduction before the water enters Indian Lake. This project is estimated to cost $750,000 and to be completed in the Spring of 2024.
AGGRESSIVE ACTION ON AQUATIC WEEDS 2023 saw aggressive actions by ODNR to address the aquatic weeds through the use of herbicides and weed harvesting. The effort was led by Dr. Jennifer Jones of Restorative Lake Sciences. The work treated/harvested nearly 1000 acres for the invasive species Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, and coontail. The Watershed Project will continue to work with ODNR to encourage selective spot-treatments with systemic herbicides, removal of certain weeds with mechanical harvesters, ongoing water quality monitoring, prioritized dredging, and completing a shoreline erosion survey.
BIOCHAR FILTRATION ILWP is working with Dr. Jennifer Jones from Restorative Lake Sciences on addressing nutrients entering Indian Lake through the main four tributaries. Dr. Jones is developing a proposal to install biochar filter bags within the tributaries. These projects are important because of the estimated loadings of total nitrogen that flows into Indian Lake and eventually the Ohio River.