Posted on July 17, 2018
By Michaela Feldmann, KSFY
For months, the city had been looking for a solution, hiring FYRA Engineering to help with the growing algae.
“You’re never going to get rid of it completely, virtual impossibility, but we can make it better,” Mitchell resident Carl Koch said.
Koch has lived on Lake Mitchell for more than 15 years. He said the algae problem all depends on the wind.
“We would have an accumulation along the shoreline, a heavy accumulation, that would look like it all would rise to the surface,” he said.
The city has been working to help solve the algae problem for awhile.
“Half our algae problem is what’s in the lake, the other half is what’s coming in to the lake,” Nathan Powell, Mitchell Parks and Recreation director, said.
Solutions include in-lake mechanical dredging…
“We will drain the lake, pull the material out, find a place to put it, and it’s basically restoring the lake to its original condition 90 years ago,” Powell said.
…and near lake solutions with wetlands and holding ponds.
“Looking at how we can filter the water coming in through wetlands and also holding ponds, also looking at is there an treatment that we can do to the water that’s coming in before we put it into the lake,” Powell said.
But even though Koch may not agree with all of the options for the lake…
“I just can’t see it, how many years is it going to take to dry out to work on the bottom of the lake,” Koch said.
…he does agree something needs to be done.
“The lake is a tremendous asset to the city, we just can’t imagine not having it because we’ve always had it,” he said.
The algae also causing high levels of chlorophyll, prompting the parks and recreation department to issue a warning to avoid swimming.
The lake committee met Tuesday night to discuss those solutions. They will present the options to the city council, who will ultimately make the decision.
Source: KSFY
