Property Owners' Association
Restorative Lake Sciences (RLS) Report on Higgins Lake — Click Here for More Info
Restorative Lake Sciences, LLC Report on Higgins Lake, 2020:
Do you want to learn more about the biology, ecology, and uses of Higgins Lake? If so, please read on!
During the summer of 2019, the Higgins Lake Property Owners’ Association (HLPOA) retained the expertise of Restorative Lake Sciences, LLC (RLS), a scientific firm specializing in lake management and restoration, to study Higgins Lake and make recommendations for any needed improvements. Since the HLPOA wants to assure that Higgins Lake remains pristine now and for future generations, it has agreed to the RLS study recommendations for overall lake health improvement. These recommended improvements include the installation of a lake-wide sewer system and the use of Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) to remove approximately 21 acres of invasive Eurasian Watermilfoil and 2.5 acres of invasive Starry Stonewort. This will result in a more targeted removal of these invasives and not use any chemical herbicides. The south state park launch lagoon is the largest source of Starry Stonewort and milfoil to the lake and thus boat washing and proper management of the lagoon is paramount. Other improvement recommendations include erosion control, addition of more boat washing stations at other launch sites around the lake, riparian education and workshops, development of an early detection rapid response protocol for new invasives, biannual water quality sampling of the lake’s five deep basins and tributaries, continuation of the successful swimmer’s itch control program and regular aquatic vegetation surveys.
Overall, the health of Higgins Lake is excellent, with low nutrients, high water clarity, low aquatic vegetation, abundance of cold-water fish such as trout, and low amounts of algae. Numerous freshwater sponges were found at the lake bottom and are indicators of great lake water quality. The recent developments of increased nearshore nutrients and algae support the recommendation to utilize a lake wide sewer system to reduce these nutrients that result in algal growth. The goal is to preserve the current oligotrophic state of Higgins Lake so that it remains pristine for future generations.
Click on the link, below, to read the entire RLS Higgins Lake Report, published in 2020: