sediment study – Jay's Real Estate Blog

Deep Creek study reaches Phase II

From Staff Reports Cumberland Times-News

2012 — MCHENRY — The Department of Natural Resources is planning next week to begin Phase II of a Deep Creek Lake sediment study, according to the Property Owners’ Association of Deep Creek Lake.

Phase I was completed for selected coves during 2010-2011.

Phase II will target the entire lake to evaluate sediment distribution, character and chemistry of the sediment, and to determine alternatives to control and cope with sedimentation, Scott Johnson, association board member, said.

The cost estimate for Phase II is $180,000, with $65,000 to be funded by the DNR, according to Johnson. Working with the Garrett County commissioners, the association has agreed to help make up the $115,000 difference.

At a special meeting of the board of directors, called by president Troy Ellington, members voted unanimously to contribute $20,000.

The county has committed to about $95,000, according to planning director John Nelson. The funding will allow sampling to begin prior to subaquatic vegetation starting to grow as the lake water temperature begins to rise.

The study will provide a database to examine trends of sediment deposits and how to deal with their management. Members of the association and county staff have been providing input to the DNR to incorporate into the scope of the work.

Sedimentation is a natural process whereby soil is deposited through erosion into a body of water. The existing bathymetry map — the water depth of the lake — is inadequate for this study.

Phase II will include mapping the accumulated sediment in the lake, determining the physical and chemical properties of the sediment, addressing the removal and/or relocation of the sediment and identifying the sources of the sediment and strategies to minimize additional accumulations.

Results of the study will be released as they become available, with a final report is due in approximately one year.

The association has conducted two workshops over the past two years. Brainstorming sessions along with panel discussions have brought awareness to concerns about the long-term health of the lake.

More here.

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Commissioners Approve Additional Funding For Deep Creek Lake Study

Mar. 8, 2012

The Board of Garrett County Commissioners met in an emergency administrative session on Monday to review additional funding for Phase II of the Deep Creek Lake Sediment Study. By a vote of two to one, the commissioners approved allocating another $40,000 toward the Maryland Department of Natural Resources project.

Last year, the commissioners committed $65,000 from the county budget rollover to help fund the study, which will be conducted by the DNR at a total cost of $180,000. The DNR and such private entities as the Deep Creek Lake Property Owners Association have pledged $75,000 toward the study.

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The DNR recently informed the county that there is a $40,000 deficit in the total funding required to complete all components of the study and that the commissioners needed to decided immediately if they wanted to contribute more.

After a long deliberation at Monday’s emergency session, the Board of Garrett County Commissioners, on a motion by chairman Jim Raley which was seconded and carried by Commissioner Bob Gatto, approved the additional funding of $40,000. Commissioner Gregan Crawford voted against the motion.

Crawford issued a statement Tuesday morning, outlining his reasons for voting against the proposal. He noted that the commissioners unanimously committed the original $65,000 because of the economic value of Deep Creek Lake to Garrett County.

“This action was taken in order to partner with the state and private entities to cover the cost of $180,000, even though Deep Creek Lake is solely owned by the state of Maryland,” Crawford said.

He noted that a total allocation of $105,000 from Garrett County would make it, not the state, the majority funder of the study.

“Before raising our commitment to become the majority funder of the study, I believe that more time is needed in order to address concerns that have been raised about the objectives, the goals, and the scope of the study, as well to consider what lasting expectations and implications may be created by the study,” Crawford said. “We need to be sure that the study adequately addresses our concerns and the concerns of the stakeholders of Deep Creek Lake. As a board member, I believe that we should not be committing ourselves, at this point, to pay the majority share when there are still some vagaries that exist in the proposal presented by the DNR. With some additional time and consultations, these details can be flushed out. It is imprudent for the board of commissioners to sign off on the Phase II Sediment Study and then attempt to fill in the details.”

Raley said he would hold a follow-up meeting on the issue with Bruce Michael, DNR’s Resource Assessment Service director, in Annapolis on Thursday to discuss concerns that constituents have about the study.

More here.

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DNR Selects 10 Deep Creek Lake Coves For Sediment Study

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Oct. 28, 2010

The list of coves selected for Phase I of the Department of Natural Resources’ Deep Creek Lake Sediment Plan/Study was announced during the recent DCL Policy and Review Board meeting.

Those areas are Brushy Run, Thayerville (Arrowhead), Pawn Run, Penn, Chadderton School, Hickory Ridge, Turkey Neck (Back Bay), Hazelhurst, Poland, and Gravelly Run. Some of the coves not included in the study are Deep Creek, Deer Haven, and Green Glade.

Bruce Michael, head of DNR’s resource assessment service, announced during the “State of the Watershed Forum” in August that the study would be conducted. The forum was sponsored by Friends of Deep Creek Lake.

The group’s director, Barbara Beelar, reported that property owners in coves not selected for the plan have voiced their concerns to DNR and DCL manager Carolyn Mathews. The owners are concerned that if their coves are excluded from the study, they will also be excluded from possible sediment dredging operations.

Beelar said 16 residents from Deep Creek Cove attended the Policy and Review Board meeting and delivered a letter signed by 27 people requesting that their cove be included in the plan. The letter noted that a low-water level and high sediment during the 2010 boat season limited recreational use to less than 10 weeks in Deep Creek Cove.

Mathews explained this week that the coves chosen for Phase I were selected based on several reasons. She noted that DNR wanted to get a broad look from various types of areas and already had data from some coves.

“They (the chosen coves) represent areas around the lake where DNR does not have sufficient data to analyze, and some were selected because they represent different drainage basins, soil types, slope, or land uses,” Mathews said.

She noted another part of Phase I is to conduct a wholistic surficial sediment survey.

“This survey will characterize the existing sediment throughout Deep Creek Lake so DNR can understand the extent of the current situation and to identify the problems,” Mathews said. “Once DNR has the results from the various tests and sampling and compares it to existing U.S. Geological Survey data and historical data, scientists can extrapolate general results for the other areas of the lake and determine areas of concern.”

Implementation of Phase I of the plan has an estimated cost of $103,000. DNR Boating Services is funding $75,000 of this cost, and $25,000 is coming from the Deep Creek Lake Management Fund, according to Mathews.

“If the results of Phase I determine that DNR should move to Phase II, that work will quantify and characterize the accumulated sediment in the lake and then identify reasonable, feasible, and sustainable alternatives to address accumulated sediments,” she said.

Another goal of Phase II will be to identify ways to reduce sediment inputs to the lake, she noted. Ways to reduce sediment loads into the lake would include designing Best Management Practices for minimizing sediment introduction and transport from adjoining property and tributaries to Deep Creek Lake.

“Cost estimates to conduct Phase II are close to $200,000 and sources for those funds are not identified at this time,” Mathews said. “The actual cost of any type of sediment removal would be hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The manager noted that just because a cove was not included in the Phase I study does not mean it will be excluded from future sediment removal operations. But, at the same time, the dredging operations may not include all DCL coves, based on a variety of reasons, including operation costs and study results.

Beelar explained that sedimentation accumulation is a natural process that is shaped by many factors, including rainfall amounts, soil types, land use, vegetation, land slope, and existing sediment controls.

“There is additional erosion coming from lake shorelines, storm water runoff, and channeling of road runoff into the lake,” she said. “Lake levels controlled by operation of the hydroelectric dam and boating wakes during high water levels contribute to shoreline erosion. Shoreline characteristics influence the mount of erosion, with the best having natural shoreline protection such as grasses, shrubs, and trees, or effective stabilization controls and low-wake zones in unstable areas.”

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Category: sediment study

Deep Creek study reaches Phase II

Commissioners Approve Additional Funding For Deep Creek Lake Study

DNR Selects 10 Deep Creek Lake Coves For Sediment Study

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