The Lake Circulation Pump Station is a concrete structure located underground in the center median on Lakeshore. Two pumps located inside the structure draw water from the west side of the bridge, raise the elevation a bit and splash the water down the Rapids on the west side. This helps to aerate the water and provides us with a terrific view along the Rapids out onto the lake. The Pump Station has deteriorated slowly over the 53 years of use, due in part to increased heavy traffic. The concrete walls are delaminating, the steel structure supporting the pumps is rusting, and the station has been subject to decades of moisture.
I know that the rapids are a beautiful feature for the Lakes Community, and I am happy to report that we have taken the first steps to repair the Pump Station and Bridge area. The first step is to repair the concrete and rebar along the Bridge area by the rapids. Next, the catwalk and steel beams holding the pumps will be removed and the concrete pump station will be rebuilt. Truesdell Corporation was selected by the Lakes Board of Directors to do our concrete and rebar work and Pumpman Pumps will be doing our pump infratructure work.
This project has many phases that we hope to finish within the next four months. Truesdell Corporation was selected by the Lakes Board of Directors to do our concrete and rebar work and Pumpman Pumps will be doing our pump infratructure work. I worked at great length bringing a list of potential construction companies specializing in this type of work to the Lakes Board of Directors and the Board was able to choose a company based on their good reputation, experience, and ability to undertake the project on a timely basis.
We have an outstanding Board of Directors who reviewed the bids carefully and diligently and made their selection in a timely manner so we could move forward with a complicated repair. Thank you to all of them for working together on this major project and for their service to the Community.
The area will be under construction, so for everyone's safety, please stay away from the area.
We all look forward to the rapids flowing again and I appreciate your patience during this complicated project.
Christine
Our spring events, Spring Fling and Cinco de Mayo, were very well attended and brought out many Lakes residents. It was great to see so many people enjoying themselves in the beautiful spring weather. A big thank you to the Activities Committee for their hard work putting together these popular events.
I was contacted last week by the City of Tempe Street Safety team. They have great concerns about the safety of driving along Driftwood Drive between Lakeshore and Compass Park. After some analysis, the Street Safety team observed that the overgrown oleanders, the narrow, curvy road, and the excessive number of cars parked along the street has caused a dangerous driving situation.
I am very aware that the oleanders planted many years ago were a visual buffer between the homes on Driftwood and the Lake Park Villas condos. I explained to the city Safety team that the oleanders serve as a privacy fence still wanted by the homeowners along Driftwood. One solution proposed by the team was to remove the oleanders completely, but we came to an agreement that Lake Park Villas, who owns the strip of land, would not have to remove them, but rather shave them back greatly to allow more room in the street and to eliminate blind areas.
They also suggested parking passes issued by the city for the homeowners on Driftwood to reduce some of the excess, overflow parking from the Villas. Each homeowner on that portion of Driftwood will be receiving a letter from the city soon surveying them if they would like to have the parking passes implemented on their street. So, this means that each home on that section of Driftwood would get a certain number of passes for their cars and any car that does not have a parking pass would be towed. This will not apply to cars in driveways.
If you live on this section of Driftwood, please participate in this survey so your voice will be heard.
Separate from the Driftwood survey, another area in the Lakes is being surveyed for “speed cushions” (speed bumps). Here is the notification from the City of Tempe that will be mailed to homeowners adjacent to where the speed cushions might be placed. The cushions are being considered along Southshore Drive between Rural Road and Lakeshore Drive.
The utility companies are finally finishing up with all the projects and upgrades that they have been doing in the Lakes. We are still on the schedule for all our streets to be resurfaced later this year. When the city begins resurfacing our streets, I ask for everyone’s cooperation to remove all cars parked in the roadway so that we can have nice, completely resurfaced streets in the Lakes.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns; 480-838-1023.
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
The soon-to-be-released City of Tempe plans for the street repair in the Lakes indicate that, along with the improvement to local transportation, will come some hard to gauge inconvenience.
At one time or another starting soon, pretty much all the Lakes will be under construction until June of 2024. It certainly won't happen all at one time, but just about everybody is going to be affected and it even looks like many will get hit twice. Once for improvement to concrete structures such as sidewalks, ramps, curbs, and gutters and again later for the roadway milling and paving.
Some of the work will also involve landscaping adjacent to privately owned properties. Those property owners should be notified by the city directly. Lakes residents should not disregard notices from the City of Tempe during this time. Such notices will inform affected parties, and we are all affected parties, of short-term road closures and parking restrictions. Pay attention to these notices.
According to the attached notice from the city, the Lakes comprises Area 1 and Area 2. We might also assume that traffic and construction in Areas 3 and 4 to our south just might have an impact on school and local traffic as well.
| Area | Phase 1 Start | Phase 1 End | Phase 2 Start | Phase 2 End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 West Side | November 20 | December 15 | March 25 | June 27 |
| 2 East Side | January 2 | February 6 | April 2 | July 1 |
| 3 - South of | January 31 | March 1 | April 9 | July 3 |
| 4 - Southshore | February 22 | April 18 | April 19 | July 5 |
If you have any questions or concerns, I am always available to take your phone call; 480-838-1023.
Christine