Carp Still at Top of List

Lake board feels ravenous fish is the only cure for weed

Patrick Alexander

The News Guard

The body responsible for the health of Devils Lake has agreed to pursue the idea of adding more Chinese grass carp to tackle invasive weed despite opposition from some bass fishermen who say the ravenous creatures have ruined the lake’s fishery.

At their Feb. 24 meeting the board of directors of the Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID) approved the first ever strategic plan for the lake, a document that sets out steps for improving water quality and promoting native species.

Grass carp are a central component of the plan, which credits them with saving the lake from a choking weed infestation in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

The District stocked the lake with more than 32,000 sterile grass carp in three batches between 1986 and 1993, with the population going on to devour the weed that had put large sections of the lake off-limits to boating.

Now, Lake Manager Paul Robertson said, the carp are dying off and the weed is starting to make a comeback.

“The concern is without that vegetation management control in place, or access to it, then the weeds could get out of hand quite rapidly,” he said.

Through the Devils Lake Plan, the District has set its sights on persuading the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to waive rules that currently prohibit the use of grass carp in all but small, privately owned lakes.

March DLWID Board Meeting Report

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District held its March board meeting in the District offices on Thursday, March 3rd, 2010.  Several interested parties attended the meeting.

Executive Session of the Board: The Board of Directors held an Executive Session preceding their regularly scheduled meeting.

Public Comment: The Board acknowledged the receipt of written comments; members of the public in attendance also provided comments on several items.  Public comments included; an expression of concern regarding the potential purchase of the Union 50 Club as well as a few concerns on the contents of the Devils Lake Plan.

Save our Shorelines: This is a program to assist landowners in increasing the native vegetation on their shoreline as well as other best management practices for living on the water. The District has planned a workshop about shoreline planting and other best practices before the spring planting season begins for landscape professionals.

Devils Lake Plan: The board discussed the final version of the Devils Lake Plan and public feedback on the plan.  The issues that were of most interest were the Districts plan for the reintroduction of grass carp as there was not unanimous support for the project.  Additional concerns were expressed over the plans reliance on legislation change by advocating four new ordinances used to implement planned projects.  Finally, there were concerns expressed related to the use of water shut off in conjunction with the Septic Tank inspection program.  After consideration of these comments the board approved the Devils Lake Plan by a vote of 4-1.

Union 50: The DLWID board will continue to explore the possibility of buying the old Union 50 building for potential use for the offices of the District. The location would also contain the Center for Applied Freshwater Ecology, or CAFÉ. It was reported that discussions with the Oregon Coast Community College, would suggest that the District could own the building for just a little more than it is currently paying in rent.

Communications Report: Multiple updates to the website, Facebook and listserv sent.  Website updates include the posting of Board Resolution, Index of Resolutions, Ordinances and Policies.  This information is available at:  http://www.dlwid.org/Board Directors.html

Rick Brissette Resigns Council Seat

PATRICK ALEXANDER
The News Guard

Lincoln City Councilor Rick Brissette has resigned from office, leaving Council with two vacant seats in the run up to the May 17 election.

However, it appears unlikely that Council will have enough time to put Brissette’s Ward I seat on the May 17 ballot, meaning voters might have to wait until September or November to select a replacement.

Bill Could Help Roads Enders’ Case

PATRICK ALEXANDER
The News Guard

Some Roads End residents have welcomed a proposed bill that would outlaw the tactics endorsed by Lincoln City Council to gather annexation consents from the area’s property owners.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) would make it illegal for a city or district to require a property owner to consent to annexation in exchange for continuation of an existing service, such as water.

Attend March DLWID Meeting

Board Meets March 3, 2011 6:00pm

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting will be held in its offices above Radio Shack Thursday March 3rd at 6:00pm.  There is an Executive Session planned from 5:30 to 6:00 before the regular meeting.  The best way to stay informed is for all lake front homeowners and interested parties to attend these important meetings.

There are several topics of importance to lake residents on this month’s agenda.  These discussions include; a review of revisions to the Devils Lake Plan and potential adoption, plus the latest efforts in the Save Our Shoreline program including the Regatta Grounds demonstration project. This year’s Lake Steward will be selected and the board will determine if the District will have an intern this summer.

Please follow the links below to access the latest agenda, staff reports and meeting minutes:

Agenda

Staff Reports

Minutes

Property Owners Want to Form LID

By: Terry Dillman
Newport News Times

Lincoln City Council members unanimously approved a request from a group of Devils Lake property owners to begin the procedure needed to form a Local Improvement District (LID). 

That approval, given during the council’s Feb. 14 regular session, sets in motion the second step of the 16-step process required to form an LID. It authorizes qualified city staff to assess the proposal and generate a written report on all aspects of the project and defining it more clearly, including design and costs.

Most owners of 48 lots near Regatta Park want to form and underwrite the cost of the LID to install a pressurized sewer system for lots along NE Lake Dr., NE Voyage Ave., and NE 15th St., connecting it to the city’s pump station at Regatta Park, and to pave those roadways.

Brian and Leslie Green of NE Lake Dr. initiated the effort in August 2010, sending out a letter to neighbors to determine the amount of support for installing a new, two-inch sewer line and paving the roads. In it, they outlined the proposal and its costs.

“Until recently, the topography of our neighborhood has made connecting to sewer prohibitively expensive,” Green noted.

Lake Group Sets Sights on Banned Fish

PATRICK ALEXANDER
The News Guard

Chinese grass carp seen as vital in fight against weed

The group charged with improving the quality of water in Devils Lake is hoping to persuade the state that it needs more weed-eating Chinese grass carp to prevent the lake becoming choked with invasive species like it was in the late 1980s.

“You would think that would be pretty simple,” Lake Manager Paul Robertson said, “if grass carp were not illegal.”

The addition of more grass carp is a central strategy in the Devils Lake Water Improvement District’s newly updated Devils Lake Plan, which credits the ravenous creatures with saving the lake from weed in the late ‘80s and boosting lakefront property values in the process.

February DLWID Board Meeting Report

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District held its February board meeting in the District offices on Thursday February 3rd at 6:00pm. The meeting was attended by approximately 11 interested parties. The District received an unqualified opinion; total assets are up $30,000, revenues of $193,000 up $3,400 and expenses are up $5,400.

Devils Lake Plan: The board meeting began with a special presentation of the Devils Lake Plan to those in attendance. The Plan had been previously presented and discussed in four public meetings over the past week. The presentation was followed by an open discussion designed to receive public input. Concerns were expressed related to the use of water shut off by the City to enforce their septic ordinance. Some were concerned about what they described as potential bias toward legislating enforcement of the Districts ideas rather than providing incentives toward voluntary participation. Several commenter’s objected to the use of District funds for the CAFE project.

Audit: The District’s Auditor Signe Grimstad presented the results of the District’s annual audit. The District received an unqualified opinion; total assets are up $30,000, revenues of $193,000 up $3,400 and expenses are up $5,400.

Public Input: Several comments were made on the balance of the agenda. A request was made to have the audited fincinals placed online. An objection was made to District useing fund for the Regatta Park SOS project suggesting the City should provide the funding. It was also memtioned that there are coastal engineers who would be willing to help the District develop guidelines for effective shoreline protection that could be used by homeowners.

District Holds Open House

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District held four informational sessions on the Devils Lake Plan over the weekend.  Attendees at each session were provided a summary of the Plan in the form of a powerpoint presentation.  Saturdays’ session was attended by Mayor Dick Anderson and City Counselor Chester Noreikis.  Each session concluded with a publc discussion of the new managment plan. Missed these important sessions?  You can still attend the DLWID board meeting on Feburary 3, 2011 and share your thoughts with the board.

Devils Lake Plan Released

District Requests Public Input

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board has just released The Devils Lake Plan and is seeking public input. We would encourage you to attend one of a series of Open Houses featuring the newly released plan.  The Devils Lake Plan will eventually become the management plan for the District, guiding the District’s projects for many years to come.  This is your opportunity to ask questions and to provide the District with your comments on the plan. The District is seeking to formally adopt the plan at its March 2011 Meeting.

The District has made the Devils Lake Plan available for your review in two formats, MS Word or Adobe PDF. Please download the plan and familiarize yourself with our lake’s future.  We have reviewed the document and found it to be quite comprehensive outlining a multi-faceted management approach to the lake.  Even still, our review raised some questions and perhaps generated a comment or two, and the District has created a public input process for us to do that very thing.

Each of the open houses will start with a short presentation. There will be ample time for you to ask your questions and provide the District your comments.  The District has also made the presentation available online.  Therefore, if you cannot attend one of the sessions you can view the slideshow of the plan here and still provide input using the District’s online comment form.  You may also wish to provide written comments by email to the Lake Manager at Lake.Manager@DLWID.org an to the full board simultaneously at Board@DLWID.org.

Please mark your calendar for one of the featured sessions.

Open House Events:

Friday, January 28, 2011

• Session 1:  10 am – 12 pm
• Session 2:  2 pm – 4 pm

Saturday, January 29, 2011

• Session 3:  10 am – 12 pm
• Session 4:  2 pm – 4 pm

Thursday, February 3, 2011

• Session 5:  6 pm – 7 pm  (as part of regular meeting)

Location:

Devils Lake Water Improvement District Office
820 SE Hwy 101, Suite D, Lincoln City, Oregon.