(Arnolds Park)– Water quality of Lower Gar Lake was the topic of a two and-a-half hour meeting Tuesday evening in Arnolds Park.
The lake is on a list of impaired waterways the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has sent to the Environmental Protection Agency in accordance with the Cleanwater Act of 1972. As a result, the state is required to adopt measures to clean up the 242 acre lake.
The lake is listed as impaired due to turbidity caused by a heavy algae bloom. Bill Graham of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told the crowd of about 60 people the turbidity is also being caused by sediment constantly being stirred up from turbulence caused by wind, boat traffic and bottom-feeding fish. The exact degree each of those plays will be the focus of a second study the D-N-R will do on Lower Gar. Graham says they’re even thinking about installing some time lapse cameras to measure boat traffic on the lake.
Several questioned any impact the landfill east of Arnolds Park may be having on the lake. Ralph Turkle of the D-N-R’s Water Quality and Wasteload Allocations Bureau said the facility is required to treat atleast two types of leachate going into two creeks that drain into the lake. He agreed to do further research to see if the landfill should be treating other types of leachate.
Graham says improving Lower Gar won’t be an easy task. He says it will be largely up to the local people and governments. For one thing, Graham says they’ll have to determine how people want to use the lake. He says putting Alum into the lake could take care of the turbidity problem for up to 10 years. Dredging may be an option, but Graham warns it would be very expensive and could cause even more problems. Some residents of West Lake Okoboji said it’s crucial whatever’s done to Lower Gar doesn’t have a damming effect downstream.
Owen Primavera of Okoboji called on the county and lakes area municipalities to adopt long term comprehensive plans, saying a moratorium should be put on any more development until those plans are adopted and implemented. A similar request was made at last week’s Okoboji City Council meeting. It’s been referred to the City Attorney to see if such a move would be legal. That city will be updating its comprehensive plan in the next year or so.
