West Bay Woods, an SID designed by E&A in 1998, had a lake with an increasing algae bloom issue. A partial dredging in 2011 had been effective, but construction debris associated with building out most of the remaining lots had re-escalated the algae growth. The issue was discussed at an SID board meeting and E&A’s team devised a non-invasive solution to cleanse the lake.
Description
After securing partial financial support from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, a pre-dive evaluation of the 8 ½ surface acre lake was conducted. The majority of the algae problem was found to cover a total of 3 surface acres lining the perimeter of the lake. The dredging process was planned out to focus on those specific problem areas.
Once the dredging began, sediment was pulled into biodegradable bags which were placed on an adjacent area. Over an 8-12 week period, the water seeped from the bags back into the lake, leaving behind the algae-causing sediment. After all of the water drained from the sediment bags, the remaining mixture was spread on this adjacent area, forming a layer of topsoil and the base of a future SID green space.
Key Partners
SID #439: West Bay Woods
Farmers National Company
Geis Inc.
Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District
Sediment Basin Removal Systems, LLC (Muck Men)