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FAQs

How often will The Dredge Report be posted?

As you can see, only foour reports have been released to date. Once real activity begins, expect to get updates every week to ten days.

Why has the water level in the lake changed several times?

There are two stages involved in draining the lake. The remaining water cannot be drained until fish retrieval/removal is coordinated. The initial draining was somewhat erased by rainfall, which re-filled the lake to a degree.

Why not dredge the swimming area too?

There are two main reasons. The biggest one is that the funding for this project is tied specifically to environmental improvements. In addition, the dredging portion of the restoration project focuses on silt removal, which primarily accumulates where the water enters the lake from its upstream source.

Why dredge?



All man-made lakes periodically fill with silt and must be dredged to keep from becoming prairies. Pine Lake has created effective up- and down-stream wetlands to enhance the watershed, mitigate flooding, remove pollutants, and reduce silt depositing in the future. Pine Lake has created effective up- and down-stream wetlands to enhance the watershed, remove pollutants, and reduce silt depositing in the future. Dredging will ensure continued health of the lake and clean water flowing downstream. 



Why now?



The majority of the funding for the dredging comes from federal stimulus dollars and is available now. If we don't take advantage of this window, we will not be able to improve the health of the lake and provide cleaner water downstream. The draining of the lake started in March and has continued into April. Depending on when all funding is received and how quickly the water drains, the city anticipates the work could be done by July, but it's not certain how quickly the lake will re-fill.

Where do the turtles and beavers go?

Public Works has dismantled the beaver den on the berm (and was very impressed by the carpentry). Dismantling the den has moved them to the creek in the Mayor's back yard, where they're taking down trees there. We’ll keep an eye on it and make sure that they don't try to rebuild, but hopefully they'll move way downstream

As for the turtles, here’s a direct quote from Leif Stephenson, US Department of Agriculture (fish and wildlife management office): "you know, we don't know what they do.... all we know is that they will disappear on their own, you won't see a one, and then when the lake fills back up, they re-appear. It happens all the time-- we don't know how they do it."

What about swimming?


It is probably best to manage expectations about swimming in the first part of the summer. The inconvenience this poses for many who enjoy swimming and other use of the lake was taken into consideration when planning this project, but time constraints give us no choice but to proceed in early spring. We hope you'll agree that the short-term sacrifice of lake use is more than a fair trade for the long-term health of the lake and vitality of our community. 



What happens to the silt that's dredged out of the lake?



A portion of the silt will be redistributed. The City will also make it available to anyone to use in gardens. Some will be trucked to the DeKalb Landfill. Trucking the soil and paying the "tipping fees" to the landfill account for a large percentage of the project's cost, so anyone who wants silt for gardening is welcome to come and get it! 



What else will happen? 



Trees: 

When the lake was first created, an unfortunate decision was made to plant trees on the impoundment (the back berm). Trees planted on earthen dams can destroy them with their roots and by leaving large holes when they die. The north shore of the lake (along the impoundment) will be sculpted to reduce the stream's scouring action on the banks, which further erodes the berm and 31 trees are marked for removal. 


Lowering the road: 

The road between the lake and the Western wetlands will be lowered about one foot, creating a spillway for major flood events that will protect the impoundment from further degradation. Since the impoundment is what keeps the water in the lake, instead of in Snapfinger Creek, this is very important for flood control. 



Bio-retention feature: 

An improved water retention area will be installed in the grassy area to the west of the gazebo, where a drainage ditch is currently located. This "rain garden" will be planted with native flowers and grasses and will clean storm water runoff from Clubhouse Drive before it flows into the lake and stream, creating a small pond during rainy times.