Most summers I charter a sailboat on Lake Superior from Superior Charters. One of the things I love the most about these trips is the absolute crystal clear waters. You can see forever. Clarity in Lake Superior is said to be over 100 ft in places. Well... We won't see THAT, but it will certainly be a lot better than we have ever seen.
So, what's the status of the Alum treatment, you may ask??
On May 5th, the Alum treatment will begin. It will encapsulate 1200 lbs of
phosphorous in the water and drop it permanently to the bottom of
the lake. This will result in an amazing transformation in the
clarity of the water. We'll be able to see results almost immediately. We will be the jewel of Ramsey County. No longer
will we have to live with green slimy stinky water. The treatment will
require 10 days for the application of the chemicals. The contractor will suspend
operation during the fishing opener weekend and resume the next week.
If you happen to be on the lake while this process is active, please
give the boat room to work and don't water ski through the milky waters. There will also be a tank at the boat
launch and trucks delivering chemicals on a regular basis over this
period.
There will be a second treatment in two years to complement the first
treatment. It is hoped that this will keep the lake clear for up to 20
years. Infiltration of new chemicals from the various inlets will
degrade the lake over the years. To minimize this, we all need to do
our part to keep nasty chemicals out of the lake. Consider a rain
garden or a rain barrel to slow down the movement of water into the
lake. I have access to rain barrels if anyone wants one. Free. It may take a few weeks to get one. They
are 55 gallon blue and white plastic barrels used in the food industry. I'm going
to use one and spray paint it brown so it isn't so obvious.
For many of us that have worked on it for so many years, this is a really big deal. We are all very excited to see this finally come to a head. It's been great to have all of the support of everyone in this endeavor.
Have a great summer on the lake. Hope to see you out there.
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