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Friday, 30 October 2009 |
By KATIE YANTIS
Staff Writer
CELINA — Further efforts to better Grand Lake St. Marys are underway at Turtle Point.
Grand Lake Wabash Watershed Coordinator Laura Walker said the innovative shoreline stabilization project is underway. The geo-textile tubes installed at Windy Point are being filled with organic matter collected during the dredging process.
"We have 700 feet out," Walker said. "They are for shoreline protection. It's an experiment through a conservation innovation grant, it's technically farm bill money."
She said the project started recently and will continue for the next two weeks.
"We have been out there two weeks, it took us about a week to get started and get the tubes in place," Walker said. "We have pumped all this week. We have approximately 2 feet of solids in the bags and we are hoping by the end to have 4 or 5 feet of solids."
Walker said the project pumps between 5 or 6 feet, then drains the water out of the tubes.
"A polymer is added that helps everything bind together," Walker said. "It helps solids stick together and allows the water to drain out."
She said the tubes are going to stay in place and will help benefit the lake and the shoreline.
"With all the organic material, they will start growing things, cottonwoods, and re-establishing that shoreline," Walker said. "Since we are putting the polymer in most of the phosphorus is tied up in the bag."
She said samples are being taken every day before the polymer is added and after to see the difference in the phosphorus amount — which is what makes the green in the lake.
"On our original bench test, we showed approximately 50 percent was being tied up in the tubes," Walkers said. "It means a couple of things."
Walker explained the benefits of the phosphorus being contained in the tubes as well.
"It means that amount of phosphorus is being tied up and the water coming off the bags is twice as clean or has half the amount of phosphorus," Walker said.
She added depleting the phosphorus will help increase the quality of the water. The shorelines will also be improved through the tubes.
"Since it is protecting the shoreline it is keeping all the solids and dirt, keeping the shoreline and preventing waves from hitting the shoreline and letting it recover," Walker said.
She said the shoreline needs to be revamped because of wind damage.
"There are a lot of trees down because this area gets a lot of wind erosion, there is a lot of wave action," Walker said.
The project totals in at $100,000, but Walker said it is not all actual cash.
"A lot of it is match — parks time, dredge time," Walker said. "Grant money is less than half of that and part of the funds were capital improvement money."
She also praised the parks and Mercer and Soil and Water for working well together on the project.
"The State Park has been helping out a lot," Walker said. "We could not do it without them and their cooperation. It's been really good to work with them, since it is on the State Park, it is a state park project they have more time invested."
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 December 2009 )
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