Local residents were lauded at Friday’s Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Luncheon for their efforts to organize and pull together during 2022 to combat the weed problem at the lake — an issue that will continue to be studied and addressed in the upcoming months this year.
“This spring and summer will be better than last year; you have been very successful in your efforts,” State Rep. Jon Cross (R-Kenton) of the 83rd District, told the community members, business owners and elected officials gathered at Cranberry Resort. “That’s because of so many people in this room who have been very vocal and involved in the weed eradication issue.”
Rep. Cross, who was recently elected to serve as the assistant majority floor leader for the 135th General Assembly, said during the legislature’s last lame duck session, they approved $2.75 million to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for gap funding, which includes funds to take care of Indian Lake.
“With this gap funding, we need to look at Indian Lake for the next 10 years, whether it’s through dredging or the lake maintenance program. We want to make this lake enjoyable for many years to come.”
Glenn Cobb, Ohio Department of Natural Resources chief of the Division of Parks and Watercraft, detailed for attendees the plans to address the aquatic vegetation issue this year.
“The agency will be aggressive in 2023 to ensure Indian Lake is navigable for boaters, anglers, and anyone who wants to enjoy this amazing natural resource.”
Restorative Lake Sciences has been awarded the bid to monitor the lake vegetation, including an updated early season survey to be conducted this spring to determine the status of the lake vegetation. Then an entire lake survey will be conducted in the summer to compare data to the 2022 study.
Relating to herbicide applications at the lake, Cobb said once the vegetation study is conducted this spring, they’ll be able to look at the effectiveness and extent of 2022’s herbicide applications. ODNR will be able to move forward to determine necessary herbicide applications to target the Eurasian watermilfoil.
Three areas of the lake identified by lake management experts as potential treatment zones include: Northern end of the open zone, the spillway area, and the area west of Orchard Island.
Herbicide treatment could begin as soon as April, the ODNR official said, and would occur in designated areas every few weeks, with continued monitoring of oxygen and nutrient levels. Depending on any effects to lake conditions, the last large-scale treatment could be completed by the end of June.
“The end goal is to reduce invasive milfoil from the lake as much as possible because complete eradication is not possible,” Cobb said. “Monitoring for harmful algal blooms will be necessary and will be a consideration in any additional herbicide applications later in the season.”
Cobb said lake management experts recommend mitigating coontail and any early-season curly-leaf pondweed by harvesting. ODNR will utilize state-owned equipment and employees to conduct harvesting.
In addition, the state agency will continue to focus on maintenance dredging, utilizing state-owned equipment and personnel located at Indian Lake.
ODNR’s dredging program is focused on maintenance such as maintaining navigational channels and dredging of silt-traps and other inflows to the lake, Cobb related.
For more information on the issue, visit https://ohiodnr.gov/ and search for “Indian Lake Aquatic Vegetation Management.”
Also during the legislative luncheon, Tim Little from Ohio Department of Transportation District 7 provided updates on the upcoming projects on local roadways, including the idea of roundabout currently being studied for the intersection of U.S. Route 33 and State Route 274, a proposal which is “not finalized yet,” he said.
He also noted that the speed limit change will occur in the next several weeks along State Route 366 just east of the spillway, where the speed limit will drop from 45 mph to 35 mph.
“That will be a positive change, promoting our golf cart travel through this area,” Chamber President Amber Fagan said.
Other projects include upcoming road improvements, such as the sealing of Blackhawk Run, work along U.S. 33 heading west toward Auglaize County and a total chip seal along State Route 720, Little said.
Indian Lake Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Underwood also provided updates on academics and school security improvements, noting that COVID-related “learning loss” has not been an issue in the district.
“We had one of our best district report cards in years, showing our students exceeding state standards in every area.”
He said through a “common sense approach” to the pandemic and working with the Logan County Health District and other area districts, students were able to be in-person in the classroom in most circumstances.
Michael Kerns from the Logan County Engineer’s Office also reported that the 12-year process of working with FEMA on the new Logan County flood plain maps is nearly complete, with the new maps likely to be available by late this year.