February 20, 2007

Grand Lake St Marys Lake Improvement Association

Bill Ringo, LIA President and Jeff Wassler LIA Trustee addressed the club about the Association and some of the challenges facing the Lake.

In 1946, local businessmen formed the Lake Resort Improvement Association and it was incorporated in March 1947.  It included 88 members at that time.  The current Association was formed in September 2003 to address problems with the lake, primarily the quality of the water.  It is now comprised of over 700 business and individual members.  The Lake Restoration Committee was also formed from within the Association to provide a means for disseminating factual information to the public on lake related issues and to dispel rumors and meets monthly with the public.

Bill shared a Powerpoint presentation that gave an overview of the Associations activities and how they work closely with the Lake Development Corporation.  They work to meet water quality standards based on those established by the Ohio Revised Code.

The lake sits on the continental divide and provides water flow from the lake both to the North and South.  It is visited by over 700,000 people per year and draws income of an estimated $150M per year.  It covers an area of 13K acres and is fed by a watershed of 112 square miles.  The watershed has a population of 11K residents and is the most degraded in the State of Ohio.  

The lake is well fed and faces an ongoing decrease in vegetation and an increase in algae growth, both of which are bad for the lake.  It has a turbidity (light penetration) depth of only 21 inches.  Many factors contribute to the problems that face the lake with perhaps the most prevalent being chemical runoff from surrounding fields and residential areas.  A plan to address issues to reduce the inflow has been identified which includes changes in manure management, erosion control, construction of wetlands, improved sewage treatment among other strategies that would require a budget of $3M per year for 10 years.  Cost share funding is being explored.

For more information on the Association, follow this link.

Hosting Rotarian: Lowell Ziegenbusch