Many residents living around Waumegah Lake have been ‘pooh-poohed? over the years by the lake board, who essentially said ‘we don’t want to hear what you have to say.?
That was the message of Lori Callahan, who spoke during the public comment section of Thursday’s Springfield Township Board meeting.
Callahan and a number of other lake residents showed up to address the board on a recent fish kill some blame on excessive use of herbicides in recent years and exceeds a normal winterkill.
‘I’ve lived there basically my whole life,? Callahan said. ‘When the dam initially failed, some of us asked people to please, please, please be conservative and pay attention to what’s going on. Since those of us in opposition to (lake board practices) are not getting any time to be heard, we ask the township to’please, please step in and help us save the lake.?
Jerry Kinsey, the riparian representative to the lake board, also spoke during Thursday’s meeting, noting the board took action after discovering a new invasive species had been introduced into the lake.
In addition to other treatments, he said, two areas were specifically treated for the new weed in mid August.
‘Do some research, look around,? he said. ‘Don’t just jump to hysterics. There are many different reasons for fish kills. If what we did, and what we’re involved in, caused this than obviously we have to learn and make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Mechanical harvesting, he said, could result in increased special assessments.
‘To try to harvest that lake’or only harvest it’is very expensive ordeal,? Kinsey said. ‘You have to get your best bang for the buck and you have to treat everyone fairly.?
But ice fisherman Larry Armstrong told the board he drilled ‘about 100 holes? in the lake over the winter.
‘There’s absolutely no vegetation down there,? he said. ‘In the winter you look down in every other lake and you see vegetation. There was nothing down there.?
Without vegetation, oxygen cannot be produced; fish require oxygen to survive.
Paul Haduck told the board he’s been living on the lake 15 years and said he was also ‘pretty devastated? with the fish kill.
‘It was a trophy fishing lake,? he said. ‘It was a long hard winter, but we’ve had treatment with sonar in the past that killed 90 percent of the weeds and we still didn’t have a fish kill. I think we should learn from this and move forward and prevent any such incident from happening again.?
John Bistoff, who’s been one of the Lake’s most outspoken advocates in recent years, also spoke during the meeting, and concluded his comments with concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
‘The Waumegah Lake board has employed aquatic plant control consultant who is also under contract with Cygnet Enterprises,? Bistoff said. ‘All the chemicals being put into Waumegah Lake are Cygnet Enterprises products; these are expensive chemicals, $400-$600 per gallon. I see that as a conflict of interest. I have reported it to the lake board and nothing has occurred.?
Waumegah Lake resident Randy Dombrowski also spoke, and said he wondered primarily, how all the fish would be cleaned up.
Later, Trustee Denny Vallad, who also sits on the Susin Lake Lake Board, said he was also thinking about the question of clean-up.
‘My biggest concern at this point is what do we do with all the fish,? Vallad said. ‘That may be one way the township can help, because it’s an issue of health and safety for the community. They’ve got enough problems; all those rotting fish aren’t going to help anything.?
Springfield Township Clerk Laura Moreau said she was also concerned about the lake and resident concerns, and said she was in the process of reviewing township board minutes related to lake board management, as well as looking into the responsibilities and expectations of township lake board representatives.
‘Unfortunately, the township board has little oversight with lake boards and it’s not entirely clear how we can help,? she said. ‘But in order to address some of the concerns raised Thursday night, the township might want to consider making some changes to our lake board representative guidelines adopted in March 2005.?
Trustee Roger Lamont, who also sits on the township’s planning commission, said it was too early to draw conclusions or arrive at a solution, but noted input from residents was helpful to the board.
‘A lot of good information was put out and it appears there are various schools of thought as to what manmade actions may have contributed to the problem,? he said. ? At this point, I think more research is necessary and appropriate, and my initial thought is that may be where the township can help.?
Lamont also said he hopes the board will continue the discussion began Thursday.
‘I’m hopeful it’ll be on the agenda to talk about at the next meeting,? Lamont said. Public forum are comments for the board to digest and hopefully take future action on; it would be my intent to get it on an agenda and talk about it if we have the legal ability to do so.?
Trustee Judy Hensler is also a member of the Dixie Lake Lake Board, and said although Dixie and Waumegah Lake are similar in size and nature, no dead fish have appeared on Dixie Lake thus far.
‘Last week I looked a couple places and didn’t see a thing,? she said. ‘And there’s no signs of it, like seagulls and birds of prey that would be pecking away at dead fish. So I’m going to say there are none. I’ve only had a cursory look, but no, there are no dead fish.?
Hensler said she thought residents who spoke at Thursday’s meeting presented a ‘good case? but noted she wasn’t ready to draw any conclusions.
‘I hesitate to jump to any judgments without double-checking the facts to learn what really happened,? she said. ‘As a Dixie Lake board member, I’m very interested in what went on in Waumegah and hope they find the cause, be it chemicals, ice, snow, oxygen depletion. If there’s a way to prevent it I certainly want to know what it is.?