Water Resources
The Water Resources Committee manages the ongoing maintenance of our lakes. Some of their tasks include:
Protect desirable plant life while controlling unwanted weeds
Maintain a desirable boating & swimming experience
Maintain a healthy ecosystem on our lakes
Manage & minimize costs for treatment
Maintain and increase property values
Please read the 2020 Dam Report.
LAKE NEVA DAM REPORT
NOVEMBER 2024
A field inspection of the Lakewood Village was performed on September 20, 2024. This inspection, along with analysis of the Dam’s dynamics, has determined that Lakewood Village Dam is overall in excellent condition. The new structure was constructed in 2012 and is operating as designed. The Lakewood Village Dam is in very good condition, however, during the inspection there were a couple of items which need some regular maintenance and should be monitored and/or corrected during routine maintenance in the spring of 2025. These items are as follows:
The gabion baskets installed with the reconstruction of the outlet structure are still in good condition, but the shoreline on each side of baskets is eroding. There is no major urgency, but these areas need to be watched for continued erosion.
Lake Neva Shoreline Erosion. There is some shoreline erosion along the west side of Biscayne Street, but it is very minor and just needs to be monitored.
The complete report can be found here.
2023 Lake Management Summary:
1. Treated for Algae and Weeds in early June on all lakes.
2. In July, Aquaweed conducted an extensive Water quality testing on all three lakes. The results have been published online and in the waterlog.
3. We will continue testing each season now that we have a base line established.
4. Algae treatment on Neva was done in July and a spot treatment for lily pads on Brendel.
5. Harvested on Thompson and Neva in August for weeds.
In conclusion, harvesting and chemical treatments together has been an effective method of weed control/and being environmentally engaged in the past years. The weeds have been unusually minimal the past two seasons and we are treating them chemically and harvesting where needed. We will continue to monitor next season and treat/harvest accordingly.
Water Quality tests showed normal levels in all categories with a slight elevation in E.coli on Neva but not dangerously high and within limits. This is typical with hot weather and rains washing into the lake.
Sincerely,
Corey O'Higgins
Water Resources
Lakewood Village
All Septic Systems Require Maintenance
Faulty septic systems have become a more common issue throughout our association.
Proper maintenance is strongly recommended as a way to prolong the use of our aging systems. Many homeowners that have recently moved into our neighborhood from localities with sewer systems may not even realize they have a system that requires maintenance. There are two significant benefits of appropriate maintenance:
It can save you the expensive replacement of your septic system (as there is no other alternative when your system fails) as there are obviously no sewer hook-up options available at this time.
It will keep our lakes (Neva and Brendle in particular) safer and will also help the weed / algae issues which are increased by higher waste levels. Not to mention that our association spends about 60% of our annual budget to help with weed and algae control.
Your board of directors have little expertise on this subject but wanted to make sure you were aware of this issue and recommend you contact a local septic system company that can advise you of the proper maintenance to your system.
Thank you.
Brendel and Neva Lake Conditions Update
June 2023
I have received some questions in regard to the lake level, some large floating-moving patches in the water and also the water clarity in Brendel Lake. To address those we have spoken with Aquaweed (the company that does our chemical treatments and are water quality testing) and they have provided the following information:
1. The floating patches we have seen are an algae that is moving thru the lake and likely move on. It is not sediment being caused by any erosion or construction in the area.
2. The water clarity has been worse the last few years due to an unusual amount of phytoplankton (an algae) in the water. This is a natural occurring process of the eco system of the lake and not to be of concern. They have also noticed this occurring in other lakes in the area. This has also contributed to lower weed growth the past 2 years.
3. Our lake level may seem low but is normal for this time of year based on rainfall and the regulated overflow from Cedar Island Lake.
4. If residents on Lake Neva and Thompson have noticed these conditions the same will apply. If you have seen anything different, please notify Water Resources.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Water Resources Board
Lakewood Village