Aeration

Countryside Lake Association

An Illinois Not-For Profit Corporation

27045 North Maple Road

Mundelein IL 60060

May 2013

Dear CLA Members:

As this recreational season begins, we would like to advise our members about the lake restoration system being installed in Countryside Lake. This communication is not intended to be a technical treatise, but will attempt to provide a basic understanding of the system’s operation, what you will see on the lake, and how your awareness and cooperation will be helpful.

After careful research and consideration, the CLA Board believes this project is an exciting opportunity to remedy many of the issues we have had over the years, related to algae, weed growth, and lake depth. Some of the anticipated benefits of this project are the reduction of algae blooms, the gradual reduction, and possible elimination, of chemical weed-control applications, and a possible increase in lake depth as lake-bottom organic sediment is reduced. The current lake-bottom sediment layer throughout the lake varies from a few inches of muck to two and one-half feet of muck in some locations. Whether we see immediate benefits this year or whether we see gradual change over the next couple of years, we are excited to begin the effort.

We have contracted with Air Diffusion Systems of Gurnee IL to install an aeration/bioaugmentation system throughout the lake. Their web site is www.airdiffusion.com. The 2013 Budget distributed to the membership last December and approved in January includes a capital investment of $145,000 for the system, its installation, and related work to improve compressed air sources for the system’s operation.

HOW IT WORKS:

This type of aeration does not refer to fountains in the lake, or any above-water spray. Air diffusion tubes will be laid on the lake bottom and will extend from two shore locations to points throughout the lake varying from a few hundred feet to as much as 2000 feet from the aeration sources on the shore. The two sources will be located at Fred’s Shed near the beach and a new source near the boat launch/tennis court. The diffusion tubing will be connected to air diffusion disk modules that will sit in place on the lake bottom to provide aeration in columns extending from the lake bottom to just below the water surface. You will know locations of the diffusion modules when you see a sub-surface movement of water. This will not disturb your use of the lake for boating, swimming, or fishing.

While in some other existing installations of this particular system alga blooms (exhibited by the green, murky water we typically see in mid-summer) were eliminated in the year of the system’s installation, each body of water has unique natural characteristics. A period of adjustment this year could show startling progress or could initially cause an even more aggressive bloom as all of the factors contributing to algal growth react to the changing environment.

This system is not an immediate fix to our lake’s algae, weed, and muck issues, but will be in operation for years. The aeration will operate only during warmer months, and will be turned off during winter months. The lake will be allowed to freeze over as it normally does during winter, and ice fishing will still be possible.

An additional element of the system for this year is the augmentation of bio-organisms in the lake. Such natural organisms have always been a part of our lake’s cycle of organic growth, decay, and regeneration. We will apply additional numbers of organisms throughout the season. This effort will work in conjunction with the newly aerated lake water. The intent is to boost the cycle of life in our lake, to expedite the process of lake-bottom muck reduction, and to encourage the myriad cycle of activities involved in the lake’s natural life, from microorganisms to our fish population. This will have no effect on your use of the lake for boating, swimming, or fishing. There will be no change in the level of safety of the water for swimming as a result of this augmentation. It will not affect the health or quality of our fish population, except to improve it over time.

TIPS FOR BOATERS:

The aeration tubing and modules on the lake bottom will be extremely heavy duty. If you are anchoring in the lake and an anchor snags a tube, we have been told it is more likely that your anchor line will break than that the tubing will be damaged. For this reason, if you see an area of sub-surface water movement, avoid anchoring over that spot.

Members have made us aware of some of their favorite anchoring locations when socializing on the lake. Two mooring buoys anchored to the lake bottom are being installed in those general locations. Members will be able to attach their boat lines to the buoys and will avoid the necessity of throwing an anchor at all at those locations.

A great deal of research and preparation has been done in order to make the decision to proceed with this project. Members of the Board’s Long-Range Planning Committee, Chaired by CLA Vice-President Sean Parmley, are to be thanked for their diligent efforts researching options, obtaining additional studies of our lake bottom conditions, and finally obtaining proposals and multiple bids. Thank you to non-board committee members Jim Esperson, Mary Aspegren, and Marilyn Theobald for their participation.

If you have specific questions about the system or desire more technical information, please visit www.airdiffusion.com, or call Sean Parmley or any CLA Board member. And please consider volunteering your time toward any of the association’s committees.

With best regards,

COUNTRYSIDE LAKE ASSOCIATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John Eifert, President Sean Parmley, Vice President

Janice Miller, Treasurer Julie Wilkins, Secretary

Les Jezuit Tom Richter Terry Caldwell

Drew Hupp 8 Lee Erickson