Posted on October 17, 2018
The Hot Springs Village lakes committee met on Oct. 10, at which they received current information on a host of lake related matters from lakes ecology and fisheries manager Brad Meredith.
He told the committeemen in attendance that the new lake work barge is a huge improvement, saying it’s much larger than the previous work boat. The boat, donated by a Villager, has had the railings and seats removed and the motor from the previous boat added. Once a new steering console is in place, the boat will go to Ken’s Marine to hook up the steering. The new boat is 24 feet long and has a 24-foot trailer so it can be mobile, thus used where needed.
Meredith said all plans are in place for the upcoming dredging work on Lake Balboa. The drawdown will begin on Nov. 1, drawn down four feet and will refill as rainfall occurs after the valve closes on Feb. 28, 2019. Committee member Robb Ferriman wrote a white paper looking into whether or not the purchase of a dredging machine was practical. After looking at all the data it was determined to not purchase a dredging machine for the Village. When the cost of the machine, maintenance and labor costs are factored in, it was felt a purchase was not a good idea.
Shoreline surveys are also complete. These were done to determine depths so the shallowest areas could be further looked at.
Meredith also stated all 11 Village lake gabions will be cleaned. Five of them are on Lake Balboa, one of which is quite large and could take weeks to complete a cleanout.
One bit of good news had to do with boat sticker compliance. A survey found that 306 watercraft owners were in violation (not purchasing a sticker). Since then, 304 owners have come into compliance.
Both committee chair Bill Goodwin and POA board liaison Cindi Erickson commented that was a huge improvement. “That’s phenomenal. We’ve come a long way,” added Goodwin.
Kayak launching sites were also a part of this meeting. Don Langston added details saying site evaluations have taken place. Three sites have been chosen for Lake Balboa, one on Levantino Drive, Resplandor and Balboa Road. The areas are scheduled to also including a small parking lot for three to five vehicles.
The kayak site committee planned to meet again last week to finalize Balboa sites and plan a construction schedule. It was noted by Goodwin that Peter Trabant has been helpful in locating sites. Trabant added that he felt the parking lots should be large enough to accommodate trailers.
D.C. Reed and Jeff Lloyd of the Balboa Yacht Club were in attendance, telling about a sign they had brought to the meeting. The signage speaks to aquatic concerns on boats, accidentally carrying unwanted vegetation from lake to lake. The sign is a donation from the club for Village lake placement.
Source: Booneville Democrat
