Brad Richardson, project coordinator for the Carter Lake restoration, stated that the dredging project is set for June and July.
“ Part of the shoreline work will involve some spot vegetation kills with chemicals and use of a weed harvester ,” he added.
During the Omaha meeting, Richardson and other officials updated the public on the project details.
The Carter Lake is a rare, urban recreational resource for the Omaha metro area shared by two cities (Carter Lake and Omaha), two counties (Pottawattamie and Douglas), and two states (Iowa and Nebraska).
This lake is on Nebraska’s Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters for phosphorus, nitrogen, algae, chloryphyll, PCBs, and pH.
Additionally, the State of Iowa has determined that Carter Lake is impaired for ammonia, low dissolved oxygen, PCBs, algae toxins, phosphorus, nitrogen, and pH. The primary water quality issues with the lake stem from high nutrient concentrations.
Elevated concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen have contributed to blooms of blue green algae.
“ This dredging project is a good thing for Carter Lake and a good thing for Omaha .’’,” concluded Richardson.
[mappress] Dredging Today Staff, January 25, 2012; Image: usgs.gov