State funding acquired to address issue
The three Logan County Commissioners took a boat tour of Indian Lake Thursday afternoon, accompanied by State Rep. Jon Cross (R-Kenton) to check out two weed harvesters in action and to see the additional work that is needed to clean up the lake.
Over the last summer, Indian Lake has been experiencing significant aquatic vegetation growth that has led to canals and large expanses of the lake to become unnavigable. Commissioners Paul Benedetti, Joe Antram and Mark Robinson said the impact the weeds are having on Indian Lake are of significant economic concern, as well as how they impact local residents’ qualify of life.
Rep. Cross also announced Thursday that additional funding is coming for improvements to Indian Lake. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will receive $150,000 in addition to the $500,000 that Cross previously secured for vegetation removal with the passing of an amendment in House Bill 175 recently.
The latest round of funds will be used to purchase additional dredging pipes to replace and extend the existing dredging infrastructure on the lake.
“With summer around the corner, Indian Lake has been a priority for me lately,” Cross said. “It is a natural playground that attracts Ohioans from around the state that brings a seasonal boost to the local economy and these funds are an investment in preserving the future of the lake.”
The ODNR will use the funds to purchase 10,000 feet of dredging pipe to be split between Indian and Buckeye lakes.
Indian Lake has two full-time dredges stationed on the lake that remove more than 100,000 cubic yards of dredge material annually.
House Bill 175 will provide the $500,000 in funds to help the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Indian Lake Watershed Project to clean up Indian Lake, as previously detailed in the Examiner.
Cross’ plan is a two-pronged attack that allows the ODNR to enter into a $250,000 partnership with the Indian Lake Watershed Project (ILWP) for the 2022 weed harvesting season. The remaining $250,000 will be used by the ODNR for their own weed harvesting operations.
The Logan County Commissioners and Rep. Cross will continue to encourage public/private partnerships to combat this problem.
They also extended appreciation to Stokes Township Trustee Steve Terrill for arranging the boat tour and to Brian Jones from Boaters Helping Boaters for being their guide.