Posted on December 20, 2018
Members of the Gainesville City Council are scheduled to vote tonight, Tuesday, Dec. 18, on amending an ordinance that will allow dredging at Moss Lake.
If approved, the vote would allow people to dredge at Moss Lake to install docks while eliminating permission for docks to extend more than 50 feet.
The dredging allows for docking in what are currently shallow areas, according to information provided to council members.
“The only reason we’ve allowed beyond 50 feet was if it was too shallow of water, so they could get out so they could actually dock the boat,” City Manager Barry Sullivan said. “And since they would be able to dredge, we wouldn’t have that issue. It deals with the safety feature without hitting the people’s ability to utilize the lake for enjoyment that own the property along the side.”
Sullivan said dredging at the lake would follow the rules established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and have to be approved by the city.
The lake’s water quality would remain the same, Sullivan said.
According to the proposed ordinance amendment, Moss Lake is experiencing increased development and activity.
“This development has the potential to negatively impact both the water quality and quantity” of the lake, a copy of the proposed ordinance says.
Moss Lake is the primary source of raw and potable surface water for the city.
“This is a standard that several other lakes follow,” Sullivan said of the changes.
The ordinance also limits what can be developed along the flood, debris and trash easement along the edge of the lake, he said.
“You cannot reduce the holding capacity of that flood area because if somebody were to add fill in that area or build a structure in that area it would take up some volume where there could be water and hence, our spillway would be engaged sooner,” Sullivan said. “We want to protect that area, so if they build anything in that area, they have to also negate the impact of that volume that they took up.”
During the Tuesday, Dec. 4 meeting, city council members agreed to approve the first reading of the proposed ordinance via a 6-0-1 vote. Councilwoman Mary Jo Dollar was absent.
“We think this ordinance helps the people out there, it protects the lake and it protects specifically the safety of the dam and the spillway, ” Sullivan said.
Council members are also scheduled to vote on revising the city’s fee schedule for the 2018-19 fiscal year. This includes a fee of $250 per dredging activity and a $100 fee for developing in the flood, trash and debris easement at Moss Lake.
Source: Gainesville Daily Register
