FAQs
| FAQs |
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What is the main problem with Carter Lake’s water quality?
1. What is the main problem with Carter Lake’s water quality? Carter Lake is considered impaired, which means the lake is not meeting the standards set by the States of Iowa and Nebraska. The main issues are the turbidity (lack of clarity) in the lake and the excessive phosphorus levels that lead to blue-green algae. 2. What would happen if the watershed management plan was not implemented? If no action was taken, water quality in Carter Lake would continue to worsen. Nutrient concentrations naturally increase in lakes over time and these increases can be accelerated in urbanized watersheds due to runoff from rain events. As nutrients increase so does the frequency of algae blooms and the potential for more lake warnings being posted due to high concentrations of blue green algae toxins. In addition, the Cities of Omaha and Carter Lake have been issued permits by the States of Nebraska and Iowa which require the entities to control the pollutants in stormwater runoff as part of the Clean Water Act. At this time, the requirements of the permits allow flexibility in meeting the limits. If the proposed watershed plan was not implemented and the condition of Carter Lake continued to deteriorate, the permits would likely become more prescriptive and ultimately force the improvements to be carried out. Consequently, the respective cities would need to set aside city funding to improve the condition of the lake. 3. Who is going to pay for the lake project, and will my taxes go up? This project is jointly sponsored by the Cities of Carter Lake and Omaha. Project funding will be provided by the City of Omaha, the City of Carter Lake, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Aquatic Habitat Funds, State of Iowa Lake Restoration Program Funds, State of Iowa Fish and Wildlife Trust Funds, and United States Environmental Protection Agency Section 319 Funds administered by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. This project will be implemented at no additional expense to the individuals living in the watershed community. 4. Will the lake be drained at any point during the implementation of the alternatives? Because of groundwater connections, it is unlikely that the lake will ever be completely drained during this process. All proposed work will likely take advantage of periods of time when naturally low lake levels occur. 5. Will the lake be closed to the public at any point during the implementation of the alternatives? Yes, there will be periods of time when the entire lake or areas of the lake will not be open to the public. Alternatives such as fish renovation, whole-lake alum application, and targeted dredging will require the lake to be closed. Furthermore, construction of shoreline stabilization features and sediment forebays will create temporary restricted zones for the safety of the users. 6. With fish renovation, how long will it be before there will be fish in the lake to catch? Shortly following fish renovation, fingerlings and breeding adults will be stocked into the lake to establish the appropriate balanced fishery. By the end of the second summer following the renovation there will be plenty of 8-12” largemouth bass, 6-8” bluegill, ad 12-14” channel catfish to entertain both kids and serious anglers. 7. Is it dangerous to add a chemical (alum) to the lake, and what will we see? No, alum is not harmful unless ingested in very high doses. With the concentration of alum that will be present in the water, over 1.5 million gallons of water would have to be drank in a day to be fatal. When alum is applied to the whole lake, it appears as a white milky substance for approximately 5-10 days. The alum then settles to the bottom of the lake, forming a thing, sticky layer which locks in the phosphorous and prevents it from being stirred up. 8. Will we lose power boating and other uses (i.e. crew practice) on the lake? No. It is anticipated that over 2/3 of the lake will be left open to power boating. Even with the watercraft management alternative, the entire lake can have boating; there would simply be speed restrictions in the no-wake zone. Also, the final design of the shoreline features will ensure that the narrow areas of the lake do not become reduced in size and inhibit current use o the lake. 9. Why would it be necessary to implement watercraft management? The amount of phosphorus in Carter Lake is incredibly high for a water body of its size and quality of water is reflecting this. Carter Lake has experienced years and years of high-traffic power boating during the warm seasons. Unfortunately, the result of this activity is severe shoreline erosion and continuous stirring up of phosphorus. Placing minor restrictions on this activity is just one of the pieces needed to reduce the total phosphorus load. Additionally, it would increase the effectiveness of other alternatives such as wetland enhancement/creation, alum, and shoreline stabilization. Finally, restrictions can create areas of diverse habitat within the lake and provide safer zones for non-power boat users. 10. How can we be sure there is enough water in the lake? Water quantity has been a long-term issue at Carter Lake. Water quantity and water quality are connected because total phosphorus, algae production, and water clarity can be influenced by low water conditions. In addition, the effectiveness of all the water quality alternatives was evaluated based on a full lake pool (969.8 to 970.8). The Cities of Omaha and Carter Lake are working together to complete a lake recharge project in conjunction with the water quality project. A new well and existing piping infrastructure will be utilized to bring water to the lake and help maintain it at or near full pool. 11. When will alternatives start to be implemented around the lake? Due to the magnitude and complexity of this project and restrictions and guidelines on the funding being used, it was determined that the project should be divided into various phases that will lead us project completion. TetraTech is currently under contract to conduct some additional nutrient modeling and collection of data that is specific for design, permitting, or alum dosage calculations. This spring, a geophysics survey will be conducted and this survey is expected to provide more information on water loss through the bottom of the lake. It is anticipated that this phase will be completed by early fall, at which time the final design and permitting phase will begin. At this time, there are no projections as to when design and permitting will be completed as this will be dependent upon the data collected over the summer and early fall. It is possible that implementation of lake alternatives may not begin until 2011 or 2012. In the meantime, there will be many Information and Education activities occurring that provide a great way for citizens to become involved in the project. 12. How will we know if the lake project is making a difference? Sampling will be conducted at the lake each year between May and September. The project coordinator will collect bacteria and algae samples and the University of Nebraska will also be conducting sampling to characterize the biological communities such as the types and amounts of algae in the lake during different times of the year. This will build on data collected by Iowa State University in previous years. Hopefully we will be able to document a shift from blue green algae to more desirable types of algae and reduce the overall amount of algae in the water. Data collected before and during the project will be compared to data collected after the project to provide a measure of project success. In addition to sampling, an annual lake use survey will also be completed to get an idea of what types of users frequent the lake and what types of activities are conducted. Hopefully we will be able to document increased usage of the lake as water quality improves throughout the course of the project. The results of all sampling and survey efforts will be posted regularly under the Monitoring section of this webpage. |