Tuesday, October 8, 2024
By Gene Kemmeter
The Sunset Lake Association of Portage County in the town of New Hope is working to rid the 61.2-acre lake of invasive aquatic plants.
The association, comprised of 24 property owners within about one mile of the lake, contracted with Aquatic Plant Management of Minocqua in May to begin removal of the plants. The association raised more than $14,500 primarily from lake property owners, and Aquatic Plant Management (APM) began the removal the week of Monday, Aug. 5.
APM uses a driver-assisted suction harvest system from a pontoon boat to remove the invasive aquatic plants, primarily Eurasian watermilfoil, from lake beds.
Pat Quigley, president of the Sunset Lake Association, said the boat has a two-person crew, a diver who pulls the invasive weeds from the bed of the lake by hand and then suctions the weeds from the water, and the boat skipper who collects the weeds on the boat for disposal.
Quigley said the association identified eight locations for removal of Eurasian watermilfoil during the five-day operation, with two large colonies just outside the Portage County Parks Department swimming beach the top priority. But the beach area took three full days of the contracted work, he said, meaning the association will have to raise more funds to complete the project later.
The association was founded two years ago, he said, with the priority to get rid of the invasive weeds which can form thick mats that make swimming or boating almost impossible in waters that are 20 feet deep or less.
Sunset Lake volunteers have hand harvested the weeds in shallow water for years, but they don’t have the equipment to remove the plants from the deeper water. APM was brought in to remove plants in water that was 8 to 20 feet deep.
One situation facing the association is the property owners within a mile or more of the lake shores. More than half of the shoreline is owned by public groups, Portage County and the Boy Scouts of America, which leases the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Funding is basically unavailable from them.
Quigley said the association is looking for more members to expand its boundaries to include properties beyond one mile.
“We’re happy with the work that is being done, but realize it will take longer than we expected. There’s a lot to be dealt with,” he said,
acknowledging that grants and funding to help lake districts and associations is minimal.
More information is available at the Association’s website: https://sunsetlakeportageco.com. Quigley can be reached by email at sunsetlakepoco@gmail.com.
