Happy New Year to the Lakes Community. I hope the new year ahead brings good things to all.
I would like to update everyone on our Pump Station Vault Project. This project has taken longer than expected, but we are very close to having our beautiful Rapids flowing again. I would like to go over the timeline of this complicated project.
In mid-June Truesdale Corporation started their demo and repair of our underground Pump Vault. They also repaired and re-formed portions of the bridge and surrounding concrete structures. Truesdale Corporation did a fantastic job with the repair and rebuilding of our Pump Station. They were on time, and we stayed within the allocated budget. The next step was to install all new underground electrical to the Pump Station since the old electrical had decayed and was not in any kind of conduit.
Unfortunately for the Pump Station Project, when it was time to start on the electrical portion of the project, the plan was to cut across the road to bring our wires from the electrical panel to the underground pump. That is when the City of Tempe started the asphalt street paving in The Lakes.
So, we were forced to halt our project until the road resurfacing was completed. Once it was completed, we had to figure out a different method to get our electrical wires under Lakeshore without disturbing the newly poured asphalt.
The city then required a new plan and some extra permitting to bore underground for the new electrical wiring. As we all know, permitting can take time, but with great persistence, we were able to bore successfully underground and now all of our new wiring is now in place.
As of this writing, we have approval from the City of Tempe to get SRP to power up the electricity needed to run the Rapids pumps and within the next two weeks, our pumps will be installed in the underground Pump Station and then we will turn them on and have our Rapids flowing again.
Once the electricity is powered up, we will have our sprinklers and lights working again on the Rapids greenbelt. We’re not sure if we can overseed this area for rye grass this late in the season, but we certainly will try.
I appreciate everyone’s patience while we maneuvered through some unexpected challenges, but the end result will be well worth it.
I would like to update you on some of the price changes to our room and park rentals at the Beach and Tennis Club. These are not big changes, but a necessity to keep up with costs. The price to rent the following areas are:
This still includes tables and chairs, set up and take down, and garbage removal.
Also, Tenant Registration is now $30. All homes with renters need to register their tenants with the HOA office.
A friendly reminder that if you haven’t purchased your 2025 boat stickers, please come down to the Clubhouse and register all your watercraft. Fishing licenses are also available. You only need one license per household, but the homeowner must be present with the fishing license when fishing with guests.
There are lots of events coming up this spring. Read your Lakes Log, check the website, thelakesoftempe.com, and follow along on the Lakes Facebook page, The Lakes Life.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me; 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