Several residents, along with members of the Lake Orion Lake Association (LOLA), say weeds in Lake Orion are the worst this summer that they’ve been in 20 years.
In the interest of cleaning up the lake, residents spoke with the Lake Orion Village Council on Aug. 14, about possibly establishing a Special Assessment District (SAD) to help pay for chemical treatment of the weeds.
The council voted to further investigate the preparation of a SAD, which would include a public hearing. At least 51 percent of the lakefront owners would have to sign a petition in order for a SAD to be established.
LOLA President Ed Roberts, who lives on Peninsular, said the principle weed causing the problem is Eurasian water milfoil, described as a plant ‘with feathery underwater foilage.?
Once commonly sold as an aquarium plant, milfoil originates from Europe and Asia, but was introduced in North America years ago and is now found over much of the United States.
Milfoil is often spread from lake to lake on boat trailers, and Roberts said it can’t be harvested because each piece cut off will reseed.
‘So you spread it around the lake,? he said. ‘You really need to put in chemicals. Without (chemical treatment), we might not have a lake.?
Roberts acknowledged that some people hate chemicals, but said it would be worse for property owners to go out on their own and dump chemicals into the lake, without telling anyone.
‘A licensed company marks along the shoreline,? he said. ‘So everyone is informed, and it’s done the right way.?
George Hanley, who lives on Island Pointe and is not a village resident, said there were severe problems last year with weeds near the surface of the lake.
‘We started on Pine Tree west with 20 homes, and expanded (the SAD) to 100 homes, and 16 acres of surface area,? he said.
‘It took two months to collect the money,? Hanley said. ‘We do two treatments, one in early June and one in July. We had almost no weed chop on the western part of the lake after a busy weekend.?
Hanley noted that Square Lake residents also set up a SAD for weed control two years ago, with the weeds being monitored, and treatments rotated year-to-year.
According to Roberts, of about 900 residents on the lake, 98 were members of LOLA this year.
‘So much of the value of your property is that lake, and the condition it’s in,? he said, adding that LOLA charges dues of $20 per year.
‘I don’t blame people for not liking chemicals being put into the lake, but that’s all we have,? he said.
Dave Proksch, who lives near Roberts on Peninsular, has 3-4 feet of weed mat near his property.
‘I have three small children,? he said. ‘What happens when they go down there, and get their legs tangled??
Proksch said he was also concerned about property values in the area.
‘I’d encourage the (council) to push forward with a SAD,? he said. ‘We can’t do this piecemeal…it has to be done by a central authority.?
Hanley said any chemicals used would only target specific weeds, so they would not just be ‘blanketing? the lake with chemicals.
Council member Douglas Dendel wanted to know what the chemicals would actually do to the weeds. Hanley said about a week and a half after the first treatment, the weeds go to the bottom of the lake, and native plants start to retake the area.
Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel suggested residents speak with people living on Elkhorn Lake.
‘They’ve been treating their weeds with chemicals going back to the mid-1980s,? she said.
Van Tassel said the Lake Voorheis canals are also treated.
‘They put notices on mailboxes, when not to use the water,? she said. ‘It has worked fine on Voorheis…people are still catching fish out there, and swimming.?
Council member John Ranville said if the council decided to go forward with a SAD, they would not be going out soliciting for it.
‘It will be up to the lake association to get the petitions,? he said.
Van Tassel said the village could do an initial mailing, explaining what the SAD was for, along with something for residents to sign and send back, for purposes of tabulating.
‘We’d be glad to prepare that kind of information,? Roberts said, adding that LOLA could pass petitions around.
Dendel said Indianwood Lake also drains into Lake Orion, so those residents should also be consulted.
‘You have to have the township involved with this whole thing,? he said. ‘But Indianwood is key, too.?
Van Tassel said the village wouldn’t ‘go door-to-door? for the SAD, but would like to work with LOLA to get the word out.
‘Could a millage be put on the ballot (to pay for weed treatment)?? asked Proksch. ‘All of the village benefits from the lake.?
Van Tassel said she didn’t believe such a millage would ever pass, because many village residents would fail to see how they benefit from the lake.
‘Then it would come down to a grassroots effort,? Proksch said.