We are coming out of a very hot summer season and we are all awaiting our beautiful Arizona winter. I look forward to seeing homeowners out enjoying Lakes life and coming to the Clubhouse to enjoy our recreational amenities and boating on our beautiful waterways.
This was a long, hot summer and as many of you have seen, some of our old pines and assorted other trees, did not make it through the blistering heat. Many of our homeowners have also lost trees. Please know that you have an obligation to remove the dead trees and replace them. As soon as our weather cools a bit, The Lakes will be planting 30 new trees of various varieties to replace the dead ones and add a few extras. Our many trees make our community lush and beautiful, and we want to maintain that character.
I have noticed as I make my regular lake inspections that there is a growing number of boats not cared for, in disarray, and lacking up-to-date Lakes boat stickers. Just like your front yard, you need to maintain your back yards and that includes your dock and your boat. Having a boat is a privilege and it is your responsibility to keep them licensed and well maintained. New 2025 boat stickers will be available for sale at the Clubhouse starting in December through January 31. After February 1, violations will be issued for inoperable boats, boats with torn Biminis, severely decayed upholstery, and lacking current stickers.
Any boat that you put on our lake such as a pontoon, kayak, canoe, pedal boat, or rowboat must have a current sticker. Many of you have these extra boats but don’t register them and don’t store them properly. Please be aware that any boat can collect water and can become a mosquito breeding ground. We all have an obligation to maintain our boats, monitor water collection, register every boat you own, and keep them in good working order.
Our lake is one of our most valuable assets and I want to assure the Lakes Community that I observe the lake daily, monitoring it for any changes that could affect the health of the lake and the fish and wildlife within it. We have had no outbreaks of golden algae this year. We have the lake tested monthly by Aquatic Consulting, our lake consultants, and the tests show that the lake is currently healthy.
The Fishing and Boating Committee is also very involved in the overall plans for maintenance and protection of our lake. The committee is in the process of ordering bass for our lake and, if you have a current Lakes fishing license, they invite you to fish this fall on a catch and release basis.
Pump Vault Project update: the manholes have been replaced on Lakeshore and next week a survey will be done to establish where our underground sewer lines are so that we can complete our City of Tempe permit which will allow us to bore underground and place the new electrical lines needed to run the Rapids Pump. Again, thank you for your patience. We are on our way to having our beautiful Rapids flowing again.
Moving into the fall season, we have lots of great events coming up that I hope you will join in on. Keep an eye on The Lakes Log, Lakes website thelakesoftempe.com, and Lakes Facebook page, The Lakes Life for all the details.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Christine
We are currently experiencing a Golden Algae bloom, which is responsible for the dead fish floating around the lake. We are not the only lake experiencing an outbreak. Several lakes in our immediate area are experiencing golden algae blooms as well.
Our lake doctor, Dr. Rick Amalfi, has been here to observe and test the lake. He and I are keeping an eye on the situation and plan on treating the lake again next week. We are diligently scooping out fish every day. Pease be patient as we work on the clean up.
I have had calls about the dead fish and floating algae, so I asked our lake doctor to write a letter to our homeowners addressing our current situation and what we are doing about it. Golden algae is something we have lived with for several years as well as many other urban lakes have. We are not alone in this situation. We have a good protocol in place for addressing this problem and all I ask is for homeowners to be patient while we work through this bloom.
Here is Dr. Amalfi's letter to me.
Christine:
I understand that several residents of the community are unhappy with the condition of the lake and are looking for an explanation. Please allow me to review what is happening in the lake, as well as at other urban lakes in the immediate and surrounding areas, and what we have done and plan to do.
Remaining weeds: Several herbicide applications were made using appropriate products designed to kill the weeds in the lake, sago pondweed. Dye was also added on numerous occasions to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the deeper water to inhibit plant growth. The last herbicide applications were made in early autumn, at the end of the period when water temperatures are still conducive to uptake of the chemicals. The chemical often causes the dying plant to dislodge and float to the surface. Because the air and water temperatures are reduced, natural breakdown is quite slow, and the debris tends to collect in downwind areas. Additionally, because of golden algae, the population of White Amur (weed-eating fish) has been very difficult to maintain and impossible to increase. Additional White Amur were added to the lake several months ago. They are sterile fish (required by State law) and do not reproduce. They are highly susceptible to the toxin produced by golden algae, and we have experienced major losses in the past and we are experiencing losses now.
Golden Algae: Yes, the lake once again has golden algae. We performed a pro-active treatment at The Lakes of Tempe several weeks ago, but the longevity of such treatments is sometimes relatively short. The alga can form protective cysts and re-establish after the algaecide has precipitated and is no longer effective. The Lakes of Tempe community is not alone. Several lakes in the immediate area have golden algae and have lost hundreds of fish. Two west-side community lakes have also had positive golden algae tests.
What causes the golden algae to occur in some lakes and not others is unknown. The alga may have requirements for certain water chemistry that is found in some lakes and not others. Conversely, the alga might be naturally excluded by one or more factors in some lakes and these factors may be absent in lakes where it survives and flourishes. Although many researchers are working on the cause and elimination of the problem, no definitive answers exist.
Golden algae can enter the lake via birds, ducks, the water source, and by transfer through contaminated (exposed to a lake with golden algae) boats and fishing equipment. Additionally, as noted above, golden algae can form chemically-resistant cysts that can remain dormant until environmental conditions are re-established for survival and growth. The simultaneous presence in three lakes within a few mile radius suggests it may be in the canal water or being distributed by waterfowl that frequent the lakes in the same area. Operation of aeration systems, fountains, or circulation pumps appear to have little or no impact on the golden algae. It has been found in lakes supplied with canal water, treated wastewater, surface water (lake and river), and groundwater even including well water and recharged and recovered wastewater. The toxic alga has broadened its temperature tolerance and salinity range over the past 12 years. Salinity seems to no longer control where it can develop, and we can find it throughout the year with the exception of July and August when water temperatures are extreme. It is adapting.
Response: We are doing everything we can to minimize adverse effects of nuisance algae, toxic algae, submerged weeds, and midge flies. Christine and I have been in constant communication to minimize delays in response to any issue. She has been very supportive and responsive to any material resources we require. Algae outbreaks and weed growth have been addressed by physical (dye), chemical (algaecide/herbicide), and biological (fish) management, midge flies are monitored and addressed by fish stocking and larvicide additions, and water is constantly monitored for presence of golden algae with treatments made to eliminate it from the water. When practical, fish are the preferred biological management method for weeds and insects in preference to chemicals. Please note that there is no known biological control of golden algae.
We plan to treat the lake next week for reduction or elimination of golden algae. We are also evaluating use of an early season herbicide that can be effective for an entire growing season, so long-term weed issues can be avoided even with limited White Amur.
Please remember that these issues are common to all lakes including natural lakes. A lake's response to natural biological disturbances becomes exaggerated in a small, artificial system. Issues tend to be more noticeable in urban lakes because they are in our backyard and constantly noticed. All lakes, natural or artificial, can be prone to odors, algae blooms, toxic algae, insect infestations, and fish kills too. These are unfortunately the occasional downsides to having the beauty, serenity, and recreational resource of a lake outside your door.
Respectfully,
Rick Amalfi, Ph.D., C.L.M.
Christine