The Columbia Association is considering an alternative to massive lake dredging that catches the sediment before it reaches the bottom of the lake.
“The idea is to consolidate the sediment and make it easier to remove,” said Dennis Mattey, assistant director for the CA?s Open Space division.
A forebay ? a small pool or canal near where water flows into a lake ? collects sediment as it flows into the lake, allowing the CA to dredge a smaller portion of the lake when the sediment builds up.
“You would dredge smaller quantities on a more frequent basis,” Mattey said.
CA officials are planning to construct forebays at Lake Kittamaqundi and Wilde Lake.
The idea of creating a forebay was initially raised several years ago, when the organization began discussing the best options for dredging Lake Kittamaqundi, Mattey said.
At Lake Kittamaqundi, the forebay would be built near a narrowing area next to an island, he said.
The dredging of Lakes Kittamaqundi and Elkhorn are expected to begin in June 2008 and last about a year, according to a CA timeline. Lake Kittamaqundi?s dredging project would include a forebay.
At Wilde Lake, where the forebay construction is a few years behind Lake Kittamaqundi, the forebay would be an underwater dam, which would not be visible, Mattey said. The CA is about a year and a half away from developing a design, and the project is estimated to cost about $1 million.
Some Wilde Lake residents are concerned, because they don?t know what the forebay will look like.
“I think once they see it and can ask specific questions of what is there, I think that will alleviate their concerns,” said Phil Kirsch, the CA board member representing Wilde Lake.
