Ecosystem Health Report Card To Be Created For Deep Creek

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Aug. 12, 2010

About 150 people attended Saturday's "State of the Watershed" forum, sponsored by Friends of Deep Creek Lake, a local nonprofit group addressing ways to protect, preserve, and restore the watershed. The 2½-hour information-packed event included overviews of research that has been or will be conducted about the lake.

"It was clear from the turn out, and high level of attentiveness to often detailed presentation, those who attended want to know what is going on at the lake, want to urge governmental actions to addresses various issues, and are willing to be a part of watershed protection efforts," said Barbara Beelar, Friends of DCL director.

Attendees included Del. Wendell Beitzel, Sen. George Edwards, and Secretary John Griffin, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Beelar said Griffin's presence at the event gave a serious air to the gathering and gave a strong signal that the state, which owns the lake, has come to realize the need for action on watershed protection, conservation, and restoration.

"I am very heartened by the turnout for the forum and the interest in the well being of the lake expressed today," Griffin said.

He said he believes the lake is "generally okay," but acknowledged there is work to be done and that precautions need to be taken to ensure that development and tourism do not damage the very thing that is attracting the visitors.

Griffin pledged his commitment to be more focused on lake related issues and that his agency would support adoption of best management practices for watershed protection.

The forum included an overview of all available research and water monitoring of the lake that has been conducted by various agencies in the past. Beelar noted, however, that a comprehensive analysis of the watershed has never been conducted.

To remedy that, EcoCheck, a team affiliated with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will create a "report card" on the state of the watershed. Funded by a Chesapeake Bay Trust grant, the report will be released this fall.

Published annually, report cards help monitor changes in a watersheds over time. In addition to "grading" the watershed, the DCL report will include ways in which property owners can help improve its score.

EcoCheck has also created reports for the Chester River, Chesapeake Bay, and other watersheds in the state.

The team's Dr. Heath Kelsey gave an overview on the work that will be done to collect and analyze all the current lake data. His tentative plans include dividing the lake into three separate areas.

One section is the area south of Glendale Bridge, where the watershed is more open, has multiple coves, is impacted by agricultural uses, and is the location of many older homes.

Another is the "town center" area in McHenry, and the last sector covers the deeper, cooler sections of the lake, where streams and the lake are more tree covered and water flows more naturally through releases from the dam, according to Beelar.

She noted that the great differences among these sectors of the lake lead to differing but equally valid reports about the health of the lake.

The director said much of the forum focused on particular issues relating to the lake south of Glendale Bridge, "where water quality and recreational decline are manifesting."

Bruce Michael, head of science services for the Department of Natural Resources, announced at the forum that a new DNR sediment plan for Deep Creek Lake will be developed.

"This plan will focus on the section of the lake south of Glendale Bridge and in particular in nine coves which have been identified as problematic," Beelar said.

She noted that DNR research has determined between 11.7 to 33.8 acre-feet/year of sediment is deposited into the lake annually and that over 99.9 percent of all sediment that enters the lake remains.

To address this growing problem, DNR will begin creating its sediment plan. The first phase will involve mapping the bottom of selected coves to develop baseline data.

"With this and other data, DNR will determine where dredging is needed and develop a plan for funding and implementation, estimated within three years," Beelar said.

Griffin informed the audience that the Watershed Improvement Trust Fund can be used to pay for the dredging. This fund receives the 5 percent tax levied on the sale of every boat sold in the state of Maryland. None of these funds have been used at Deep Creek Lake, Beelar noted.

"Unfortunately," she added. "Secretary Griffin reported the fund is now low on monies due to slow boat sales due to the economic down turn."

Anthon Allred from the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) also presented findings of the recent Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report on phosphorus impairment in the lake and its tributaries. This work and presentation in the public forum are a part of the TMDL requirements under the federal Clean Water Act. The report will be available for public review and comment by mid-August.

"Twelve years ago the lake and tributaries were listed as impaired for phosphorous," Beelar noted.

Phosphorous is a nutrient that contributes to water quality decline through supporting intrusive submerged aquatic vegetation growth and algal blooms. It comes into the lake through agricultural runoff, septic system leaks, tributary and shoreline erosion, road run off, storm drains, and other hard surfaces in the developed areas, the director explained.

"While the data show the overall lake is no longer impaired by high levels of phosphorous, MDE is concerned about the section of the lake south of Glendale bridge," Beelar said.

MDE will be conducting on-going sampling in this section of the lake and expanding current work to include sites in the various coves.

"If high phosphorous levels are found through this sampling, remediation actions will be required," Beelar said.

Allred encouraged county and state governments to work together to develop a watershed improvement plan to address existing problems.

Alan Klotz, DNR Fisheries, and Charles Poukish, Maryland Department of the Environment's Fish Kill and Algal Bloom Division, gave the audience an overview of the recent fish kill. The incident took place in the section of the lake south of Glendale Bridge.

"While it (the investigation) is still going on, the scientists have settled on the theory that the very high water temperatures in the lake down to about 20 feet stressed fish populations, especially the cold water ones," Beelar said. "Forced to deeper depths, they encountered low levels of dissolved oxygen levels in which they could not survive. Bacteria and parasites have been found on these fish."

Lee Karrh, head of DNR's Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Division, made a presentation on his team's work this year. The members are diving and sampling sites around the lake to determine the kinds and massing of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). They will also be doing an overflight with a specialized camera to conduct mapping of the SAV beds in the lake.

Karrh explained to the audience the benefits of SAV grasses for the health of the lake, including filtration of sediment, habitat for fish, and stabilization of the bottom sediment. A number of audience members, especially those from coves in the southern end of the lake, talked about the problems they have with reduced recreational use because of the grasses.

One concerned person brought a sample of grasses that have recently appeared off his dock in Thousand Acres.

Another person expressed her feelings about SAVs by stating, "I don't care whether they are good for the lake, I want to get rid of all of them."

Secretary Griffin responded, "I understand that while grasses are sign of healthy lake, they are a nuisance, and I promise to find a way to achieve a balance between natural resources protection and recreational use."

The largest audience response of the day came when someone reminded Griffin that Garrett County pays into Chesapeake Bay improvement projects through the "flush tax," but no funds are devoted to addressing real problems in the lake.

Friends of DCL chair Steve Kallmyer concluded the forum by giving a summary of the event.

"This forum has been a major, hopeful step forward," he said. "It is a watershed moment in the history of the lake. The secretary and other top state agency officials have come to learn and share their work. Lake stakeholders have come to learn about the state of the watershed and what can be do to protect it. Clearly, we can work together to assure a bright future for our watershed."

Griffin echoed that assessment.

"All of us from state government were very impressed with the constructive comments from the assemblage, and we should probably done this every so often in the future," he said.

Beelar said important documents from the forum will be posted on her group's web site (www.friendsofdcl.org) by mid-August, including the DNR Sediment Plan and the TMDL Report, which will be open for public comment for one month.

Friends of DCL will be making a DVD of the forum for those who were not able to attend.

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