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Another lost recreation season




Labor Day Weekend typically marks the unofficial end of summer. Summer officially ends on Thursday, September 22, this year. Until last summer, Buckeye Lake neighborhoods, parks and businesses were jammed during the three summer holiday weekends – Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.

The story Monday was the same as for the first two holiday weekends. Neighborhoods, parks and businesses seem almost deserted, perhaps because some residents left to celebrate the holiday elsewhere. A mid-afternoon drive through what’s left of the North Shore boat ramp found six, yes six, boat trailers in the parking lot, a couple of occupied picnic tables and a handful of fishermen.

Last year, Ohio Department of Natural Resources officials raised false hopes for many by implying that completing Phase 1 by June 1 would salvage at least a partial recreation season. At the time, The Beacon and long-time lake observers said the prospects for any lake recreation season based on that time schedule was very unlikely. We take no pride in being right.

‘Stop logs’ were placed in the AMIL spillway in Buckeye Lake Village at 7 a.m. on May 26, to stop the outflow of water there. The under-drain had been closed at the Seller’s Point spillway earlier. The Millersport USGS gauge was 888.82 that morning, just 3.8 inches above ODNR’s new ‘winter pool’ of 888.50. Thanks to evaporation and typical seasonal rainfall, the lake fell to 888.025 by the 4th of July. That’s almost six inches BELOW the new ‘winter pool.’ By Labor Day, the lake level was 888.60 – almost three inches BELOW its level when the stop bars were removed and barely an inch above the new ‘winter pool.’

The lake’s peak level between Memorial Day and Labor Day was just 889.15 – a measly 7.8 inches above the new ‘winter pool.’ Its low level for the same period was 888.45 – about a half of an inch below the new ‘winter pool.’

Another lost recreation season will be devastating to lake businesses and near-term property values. We must insist now, with a united voice, that ODNR take steps to ensure that the lake level reaches their ‘interim pool’ of 890.5 by May 1. There is no assurance that their current plan of removing the stop bars in November to draw the lake down to the new ‘winter pool’ and then replacing them on March 1 will be able to capture enough snow/ice meltdown or spring rain to reach 890.5 by May 1.

ODNR’s plan uses the same time schedule as in years past, but the circumstances are completely different now. First, the lake will be at a much lower level excepting last year than in years past. So it will take much more additional water to reach 890.5. Secondly, ODNR’s draw down to 888.50 has considerably reduced the surface area of the lake, meaning that it will take even more water to increase the overall level by two feet.

ODNR did a good job last year pitting non-dam lake front residents against the so called greedy and obstinate dam lake front residents. We all lose if we don’t reach 889.5 by May 1. This year proved once again that increases in the lake level will be negligible after mid-May.

We suggest that ODNR leave the stop bars in place, allowing the lake to rise to at least 889.50 before taking any steps (opening the Seller’s Point under-drain) to hold it at that level. ODNR’s new ‘winter pool’ is at least a foot below the typical winter pools of the last 20 years or so. That means 889.5 will not affect docks any more than in the past winters.

An alternative plan would be to replace the stop bars no later than Feb. 1, to ensure the capture of more snow/ice melt.

Though ODNR has made a number of pledges in the last two years to seek input from residents before making decisions, we all know that we have been ignored. ODNR decision-makers or ANY ODNR officials attend public information sessions nor even the meetings of their hand-picked advisory council.

Residents need to urge their county commissioners, mayors and village councils, township trustees, community organizations and homeowners’ associations to engage with ODNR to set an achievable plan to reach 890.5 by May 1. ODNR’s current plan will fall short!



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