Lake erosion

A voice from the North...LAKE EROSION.

I will not write about the water level of the lakes as in this rainy season, the lakes are full and beautiful according to full time Century Village friends who have written me recently. In this regard I only hope that UCO is taking the necessary measures to stop looking and start managing the water levels and run offs. Yes there will be evaporation, surges of rain and waves etc.. But without proper management techniques applied on time, the next snowbird season will be as usual with low water levels and ugly banks.

I am spending the summer in a quiet and very beautiful spot in the Eastern Township of La Belle Province of Quebec. Founded and established by the Loyalist to the British Crown at the time USA acquired its Independence, this County which is bordering Vermont has a similar appeal to nature and protection of its environment.

The June issue of TEMPO ( which is the equivalent of the UCO Reporter ) deals on page 3 with a similar problem to the one we are dealing with in Century Village which is EROSION.

I am posting here the short article on the subject:

EASY STEPS TO CONTROL EROSION

Erosion, caused by wind, water and ice, is at the root of several environmental problems such as loss of organic soils ( organic soil is necessary for vegetation growth ), mud accumulation in streams and loss of wildlife habitat. Erosion also releases nutrients causing eutrophication ( aging ) of the bodies of water.
There a few simple and inexpensive steps that can be taken to prevent erosion.

* Uncovered bare areas of land on the shoreline should be kept to a strict minimum to encourage existing vegetation and promote the revegation of banks.
* At planning stages, great care must be used to avoid unplanted (or barren ) areas near bodies of water and steep slopes.
* If damage occurs, reseed immediately.

These simple precautions will make a big difference.

In the same June issue there is another piece from the Town of Brome Lake which has adopted a master plan to deal with the issue of reducing the proliferation of cyan bacteria in its beautiful lake.To reach this goal, the different interventions were planned and realised according to the water shed concept. Not only the causes ( erosion, shoreline zones ) will be treated, but the symptons as well. One step involve the identification of retention basins which will help retain water over a longer period of time. Another one involved the construction of weirs ( steps ), which reduce the speed of runoff, control erosion and eliminate accumulation of nutrients. The last measure is the interception of water by creating holding ponds or wetlands which will filter and reduce phosphorus.

There are a great number of similitude between the problems we face in Century Village and the one that this small town is managing so beautifully. The main differences clearly is the lack of PROFESSIONNAL MANAGEMENT at UCO as can be witnessed with the measures taken so far.

UCO's approach to the problem is simple: Throw money at it and it will disappear.

The work recently done in the Northampton area is the latest example of this approach. UCO has upgraded 700 feet of lakeshore for
$ 37,000. That's $ 53.00 per linear feet. To do all of CV 37,000 linear feet will cost about $ 2,000,000. if there are no extras. Remember that according to the Engineering study quoted before on this subject, the final cost could be between $ 4,000,000. and $ 8,500,000.

UCO has not retained the Alternate Plan that I have submitted last spring, which provided a similar simple and inexpensive method to the EASY STEPS TO CONTROL EROSION article quoted above. The Alternate Plan would cost half the price at $ 1,000,000. dollars instead of $ 2,000.000. and would be long lasting for both erosion and beautification of our shorelines.

I am very disapointed that none of our 4 UCO VP stood up to the UCO management to stop this nonsense. Like a number of them have written, in the past during election campaigns, that they favoured a PROFESSIONNAL MANAGEMENT for UCO, I hope that they have not given up on their statement to that effect also.

Professionnal management would be so welcome at this time.

Written from the North... Andre