OUR APPROACH TO LAKE MANAGEMENT

For too long, lake management efforts have taken a reactive and symptom-focused approach to addressing the challenges of eutrophication, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and hypoxia. Conventional lake management plans have prioritized monitoring external watershed factors and water chemistry parameters like nutrient levels, chlorophyll, and water clarity – essentially documenting the demise of these critical ecosystems.

Too often such symptom focused lake management plans result in symptom focused actions such as the use of herbicides, algaecides and phosphorus precipitants that give instant gratification but accelerate eutrophication and make the eventual cost of remediation even higher. These symptomatic treatments lure us into the trap of The Paradox of Symptomatic Treatments.

This reactive stance has proven ineffective in reversing eutrophication and restoring ecological balance. In a landmark report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticized this passive approach and called for a paradigm shift towards proactive, science-based plans that tackle the root causes driving eutrophication, HABs, and hypoxic conditions.

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Our Lake Management Action Plans represent a direct response to the GAO’s recommendations. Rather than merely reporting on symptoms, we focus on the key underlying drivers identified by the GAO:

• Hypoxia and oxygen depletion
• Nutrient loading and recycling from organic sediments
• Prevalence of toxin-producing cyanobacteria
• Ecosystem regime shifts and biodiversity loss

By pinpointing and confronting these root causes, our plans chart a course towards truly reversing eutrophication and revitalizing lake ecosystems

Figure 1
When DO drops below 5 ml/g eutrophication starts.

Figure 2
When DO is low, excessive nutrients increase.

Figure 3
With DO steady throughout the water column, excessive nutrients remain low.

At the core of our approach is a commitment to monitoring parameters that are both relevant and actionable through targeted interventions. Instead of collecting data for data’s sake, we concentrate on factors that can guide effective management actions, such as:

• Whole water column oxygenation profiles
• Organic sediment quantities and nutrient release rates
• Phycological profiling of phytoplankton communities, particularly cyanobacteria dominance

This strategic focus allows us to deploy science-based interventions precisely where they are needed most, including:

• Advanced oxygenation technologies to eliminate hypoxia
• Bio-Dredging of accumulated sediment
• Nutrient management to re-establish a balanced food web and nutrient pathways

By combining comprehensive monitoring of actionable parameters with targeted, innovative interventions, our plans enable active management and adaptive responses – a stark contrast to the passive “monitoring to extinction/oblivion” approach of the past.

The ultimate goal of our Lake Management Action Plans is the comprehensive revitalization of eutrophic water bodies and their surrounding ecosystems. We don’t just aim to treat symptoms; we strive to restore the fundamental ecological processes and balances that have been disrupted.

Our plans emphasize measurable progress across diverse indicators like dissolved oxygen levels, reduction of invasive species, revival of native vegetation, biodiversity recovery, and expanded recreational potential. By attacking eutrophication at its roots through strategic monitoring and interventions, we can set eutrophic lakes on a trajectory towards lasting health and vibrancy.

This proactive, science-driven approach aligns with the GAO’s call for innovative lake management, focusing efforts on the most relevant and addressable factors. It’s a new paradigm that empowers communities to become active stewards of their cherished lakes, reclaiming these vital ecosystems for generations to come.