Monday, October 19, 2009

Mirror Lake is Getting a Facelift

By Jeremy Katz
STORRS, Conn - Mirror Lake on the University of Connecticut is getting a facelift, as work has begun on a $1.5 million to $4 million plan to beautify the aging landmark.
“Our goal is to restore the lake to something like its original beauty, so it can once again function as a healthy and eco-friendly part of our campus,” says UConn President Michael Hogan, writing in his blog.
Starting within a year, plans are to dredge the lake, removing the sediment from the bottom. It was last dredged 20 years ago. This will increase the depth while removing potential contaminants. Depending on the status of the material removed, the cost will fluctuate.
“If the sediment taken out of the lake is tested and is benign, the cost will be closer to the $1.5 million estimate. If it contains hazardous materials, the costs would rise closer to the $4 million range,” says Dave Lotreck of Landscape and Building Services.
Potential hazardous materials could enter the lake from water runoff, carrying chemicals like anti-freeze and oil from the roadways, says Lotreck. Also, dangerous chemicals such as PCBs could possibly enter the water from broken transformers along the road.
All of the funding for this dredging project will be through a private fund, says Lotreck. A variety of fund-raising is underway, including the Mirror Lake Fund and the Uconn Foundation. Maintenance will still be paid for by the university’s funds.
The project consists of dredging, restoration of the area, and the disposal of materials, says Lotreck.
The 5-acre body of water called Mirror Lake did not actually begin as a lake, but a stream-fed boggy marsh in a low-lying area, says Lotreck. Located in front of the Arjona and Monteith buildings, Mirror Lake was created in 1922. Like many 87-year-olds, it has had its problems.
One main problem of the lake is its depth. While the standard depth of a lake is between seven and eight feet, Mirror Lake is around 1.5 foot deep, says Lotreck. That means that the lake does not have a regular life cycle. Light easily penetrates the water, providing an environment conducive to algae growth, says Lotreck.
Another issue affecting the lake is the developed area surrounding it. In the winter, sand and salt are spread along the roadways, which then wash down into the lake. While catch basins around the lake filter some of this silt out, much of it ends up at the bottom of the lake through one of the nine inflows.
Along with the dredging, long-term solutions to the sediment problem are also being explored. New high-tech catch basins, called vortex separators, will be installed. These essentially do the same job more efficiently by separating the sediment at a high speed through a vortex. However, they also cost up to $15,000 a piece. Lotreck estimates the university will purchase between three and four.
Another long-term fix lies in the mixture placed along the roadways in the winter, a combination of salt and sand. The ratio has been changed to three parts sand to one part salt from a previous 4-to-1 ratio. Over the next decade, Lotreck hopes to completely eliminate the use of sand on the roads.
Geese have also contributed to the lake’s problems because of the nitrogen they produce through excrement. The nitrogen further contributes to the growth of algae, and negatively affects the fish and plant-life.
A variety of techniques have been used to address the geese problem. Kevlar wire criss-crosses the surface of the lake in order to deter the geese. Also, grape-seed extract has been sprayed near the lake, a bubble-gum smelling substance that geese find unpleasant. Dye has been sprayed on the grass, unseen to the human eye, which discourages the geese from landing. The attempts have been relatively successful, says Lotreck.
During the last two summers, a variety of steps have already been taken to clean up the lake and improve the water quality.
Two years ago, the water was cycled out of the lake and flocculants were added, which cause the particulates to drop out of the water. The water was then pumped back into the lake through a catch basin. The material was filtered on an area along the side of the lake, which later had to be restored. The cycling took five days, says Lotreck.
Last year, the same process was used to clean the water, although the residual material was pumped to a parking lot instead, which helped lessen the effect on the landscape. Also, the island in the lake was trimmed back and landscaped. Each cleaning cost $300,000, while providing clearer water temporarily. A more long-term solution was called for, says Lotreck.
The lake’s current problems do not pose any immediate health risks, says Lotreck. If nothing is done, he says, the lake would take 80 years to revert back to its former condition. Possible problems that could arise include mosquitoes, which could potentially carry West Nile Virus.
Bay State Environmental Consultants, which is designing the project, has carried out a variety of dredging projects throughout the state, including Mill Pond, New Canaan; Valley Falls Pond, Vernon; and Freshwater Pond, Enfield, according to Steve D’Ambrosio, of Bay State Environmental consultants.