Rotting milfoil is stinking up Silver Lake

 

 

There’s no nice way to say it, parts of Silver Lake just plain stink, due to rotting milfoil that is lining portions of the lakefront. Low lake levels and high temperatures could make this scene reoccur on other area lakes.

By Gail Peckler-Dziki~Correspondent

About 15 Silver Lake riparian owners came to hear what Dean Hintzman from the Camp and Center Lake Rehabilitation District (CCLRD) had to say about creating a lake group to manage Silver Lake at the Aug. 1 regular board meeting. Many were prompted by a foul odor that has taken over some of the lakefront. And it’s a problem that could be repeated on other lakes as well.

Silver Lake, like every other lake in the state is suffering from low water levels because of this summer’s drought. Between the mild winter last year with warm temperatures and very little snow and ice cover, the Eurasian milfoil is having a great year.

A mat of dead and rotting Eurasian milfoil several inches thick and several feet wide blankets the shore of Silver Lake on Rustic Shores.

How did it get there? According to Ed Cullen, motorboats traveling in Silver Lake chop off parts of the vegetation. Prevailing winds move it south and there is sits.

“The DNR won’t let us touch it,” Ed explained, “so it sits there, rots, stinks and drops down to the bottom and makes more dirt.”

The sight and smell of the rotting vegetation are the obvious problem. Hintzman explained the silent, more insidious issue rotting milfoil creates.

“Every lake has a life cycle. When vegetation rots and falls to the bottom, that creates more silt and lowers the level of the lake. That ages the lake,” he said.

The other problem created by pieces of milfoil is that many will land in the water and take root, creating a new milfoil bed. Because the milfoil is invasive and grows in the spring, it crowds out the natural vegetation. Hintzman also pointed out that weed beds create safety issues, with people drowning in them.

A scan of DNR records shows that an infestation of zebra mussels in Silver Lake was recorded in 1994. Zebra mussels especially like sandy bottom lakes and that’s what Silver Lake has.

In the early 2000s, a DNR plant survey documented 25 species of natural plants as well as two invasive exotic species; purple loosestrife and Eurasian milfoil.

The drought and two-foot drop in water levels moved the milfoil problem to the forefront. There is nearly 15 feet more of dry shore and many plants have started to grow in that area, including purple loosestrife.

The first step that should be taken, advised Hintzman, was to have a plant survey done. He also suggested the creation of a lake association. “If you create a qualified lake association,” he said, “ that group would be able to apply for grants. If you create a lake district, then that becomes a taxing body.”

The other way to have a support group for lake management would be to create a sanitation district.

Individual landowners can apply to have the weeds on their shoreline chemically treated, but it was agreed that would be a patchy solution. According to DNR maps, the two sensitive areas on Silver Lake are at the north end, which lies within the Village of Silver Lake and the south end, lying within the town of Salem.

In fact, 60 percent of Silver Lake lies within the Salem town boundaries, with 40 percent in the village. The village has water patrol authority on the lake.

A plant survey, which would be the start of a management plan for the lake, costs $3,600. Right now, there is no formal lake group. Hintzman suggested that riparian owners look to three groups to fund the project; the Village of Silver Lake, the Town of Salem and riparian owners.

“If you get a survey done by August, then you are set to start a lake management plan next spring,” Hintzman said.

For more information contact Michelle and Ed Cullen at (262) 889-4631.


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