I wanted to update the community about the current condition of the lake. Currently there is algae at the surface and it is trapped by the coontail weeds which is why it has not drifted off the lake into the overflow.
Last year we treated the non-native, invasive weeds in our lakes. The lake budget was used to maintain the swim area at the beach and to treat the invasive weeds. A plant survey was taken before treatment and once again at the end of the summer. We successful killed the weeds we targeted. Non-native invasive plants were our priority last year because they will quickly overcome a lake and will harm the fish, birds and other animals dependent on native plants. They can destroy lake ecosystems.
The treatment plan this year is an aggressive one. We are targeting coontail. The tall weed that is currently over the entire lake. When we killed the invasive plants it made room for the coontail to spread and spread it did. I received approval from our board to treat 11.5 acres of coontail in the lake. Treating an area greater than 50% of the lake may result in oxygen depletion and fish kills.
This year we have had a delay in treating the lake and I wanted to explain why. A small section on the west corner of the lake does not belong to Echo lake. According to Lake County that section of lake is divided. Three quarters of that section is owned by the Village of Lake Zurich and a quarter of that section is owned by Axxa Inc. The Axxa inc property owners live in Lake Zurich and do not belong to the Echo Lake Community Corp. The Village of Lake Zurich property owners do live in Echo Lake and pay dues into the community.
In order to be able to treat the Lake Zurich section of lake I need written permission from the Village. It has taken over a month but I have been working with the Village and have provided them with the information they have requested. This has been part of the delay in treating. If that section of lake remains untreated it will affect the rest of the lake.
Deciding on how much to treat also took discussion with the board. Our options were to be conservative and only treat 6 acres of lake, but the board and I felt that would not be the weed control that the community has expressed concern over. It was decided to treat 11.5 acres and this amount will greatly reduce the weeds and give the lake the appearance and usability the home owners are asking to see.
Join me on July 12 at 6 pm for a lake subcommittee meeting. We will be discussing ways to further improve the health of the lake.