Please read the following and take 3 minutes to help out if you would please.
Dear Lone Lake interested parties:
As noted in the newsletter that went out last month, there is potential grant funding available from the state Department of Ecology to treat Lone Lake by binding phosphorus in the sediment. Keeping the phosphorus in the sediment is an optimal solution for reducing algae growth in the lake.
The maximum funding available under the state's annual Freshwater Algae Program is $50,000 which isn’t enough to do the full treatment plan, but there are possibilities of additional and/or alternative funding in the future to complete the work. In any event, an initial treatment would provide some benefit in reducing algae growth, including the toxic kind and the surface mats that were present on the lake this summer.
County staff are supportive of treating Lone Lake and are willing to apply for the grant. However, because the grant is large and would be a new program for the county, the staff needs explicit direction from the commissioners to apply for it. So, all of our help is now needed to contact the three Island County Commissioners: Melanie Bacon, Jill Johnson and Janet St.Clair. An email addressed to all three commissioners is the ideal way to reach them directly, and below is a template of an email that might be useful to you.
Address the email to: district1@islandcountywa.gov, district2@islandcountywa.gov, district3@islandcountywa.gov
Dear Commissioners,
Lone Lake is a popular and valuable resource on Whidbey Island. The lake has suffered from dense toxic algae blooms for many years that make the lake a health hazard to the public, pets and wildlife. The sediments in the lake are the major source of phosphorus that fuels algae growth in the lake. Treatment with a modified clay material will permanently bind with the phosphorus in the lake sediments and reduce the risk of toxic blooms. Grant funding is available from the Department of Ecology under their Freshwater Algae Program that would allow us to begin treatment as outlined in the Lone Lake Algae Management Plan developed in 2020 by the Whidbey Island Conservation District.
I urge you to approve the county's application for this funding. No match is required. This treatment would help eliminate a public health hazard while enhancing use and enjoyment of this important resource for County residents and visitors.
Thank you for supporting this important effort.
Sincerely,
Xxxxx Xxxx
NOTE: If you do contact the commissioners, would you please let us know so we can gauge the level of support for this grant; you can copy or forward your email to lonelakehomeowners @gmail.com or simply write back to this address about what action you took. Thank you so much for your support!!
Dear Lone Lake interested parties:
As noted in the newsletter that went out last month, there is potential grant funding available from the state Department of Ecology to treat Lone Lake by binding phosphorus in the sediment. Keeping the phosphorus in the sediment is an optimal solution for reducing algae growth in the lake.
The maximum funding available under the state's annual Freshwater Algae Program is $50,000 which isn’t enough to do the full treatment plan, but there are possibilities of additional and/or alternative funding in the future to complete the work. In any event, an initial treatment would provide some benefit in reducing algae growth, including the toxic kind and the surface mats that were present on the lake this summer.
County staff are supportive of treating Lone Lake and are willing to apply for the grant. However, because the grant is large and would be a new program for the county, the staff needs explicit direction from the commissioners to apply for it. So, all of our help is now needed to contact the three Island County Commissioners: Melanie Bacon, Jill Johnson and Janet St.Clair. An email addressed to all three commissioners is the ideal way to reach them directly, and below is a template of an email that might be useful to you.
Address the email to: district1@islandcountywa.gov, district2@islandcountywa.gov, district3@islandcountywa.gov
Dear Commissioners,
Lone Lake is a popular and valuable resource on Whidbey Island. The lake has suffered from dense toxic algae blooms for many years that make the lake a health hazard to the public, pets and wildlife. The sediments in the lake are the major source of phosphorus that fuels algae growth in the lake. Treatment with a modified clay material will permanently bind with the phosphorus in the lake sediments and reduce the risk of toxic blooms. Grant funding is available from the Department of Ecology under their Freshwater Algae Program that would allow us to begin treatment as outlined in the Lone Lake Algae Management Plan developed in 2020 by the Whidbey Island Conservation District.
I urge you to approve the county's application for this funding. No match is required. This treatment would help eliminate a public health hazard while enhancing use and enjoyment of this important resource for County residents and visitors.
Thank you for supporting this important effort.
Sincerely,
Xxxxx Xxxx
NOTE: If you do contact the commissioners, would you please let us know so we can gauge the level of support for this grant; you can copy or forward your email to lonelakehomeowners @gmail.com or simply write back to this address about what action you took. Thank you so much for your support!!
