City to revive stalled Pine Lake study
August 6, 2008
By Emily Keller
Re-hired engineer will take on review of water quality
A draft study about water quality in Pine Lake that has been sitting dormant for two years could be reviewed soon.
The city’s former drainage engineer, Eric LaFrance, will return to work for the city again as the Senior Stormwater Program Engineer beginning Aug. 18.
One of his first projects will be to review the study.
“That was actually on my desk when I left the city. It was one of the main things that was on my desk that didn’t get done,” LaFrance said.
City officials have said the delay of the study’s approval is a reason to support a proposed reduction in drainage regulations for small developments.
Officials say these regulations tie up engineers’ time and prevent them from working on larger issues.
“The drainage engineer just had too much work on his plate dealing with development review, dealing with resolution of drainage complaints in the city. This was just one of those things he never got to,” said John Cunningham, the city’s director of public works.
The delay of the study’s approval was a source of frustration for some environmentalists.
Ilene Stahl, president of Friends of Pine Lake, said the study shows that development over the last two decades has increased phosphorus in the lake, which increases algae bloom.
However, she noted that infiltration and other measures have successfully reduced the lake’s phosphorus content.
The study mentions measures that could improve the lake’s quality, including a pet waste ordinance, a ban on fertilizers containing phosphorus within the watershed and a reduction in irrigation through landscape practices that reduce the need to water plants, Stahl said.
Once the city finalizes the study, which was completed by Tetra Tech in September 2006, the city could draw on its findings to set environmental policies.
In addition to reviewing the study, LaFrance will also lead program development to bring the city into compliance with phase two of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program, a program the city is fighting in court. He will also focus on capital improvements for a basin drainage plan, which consists of looking for storm water hot spots and then proposing solutions, he said.
City officials say they are taking measures to make sure future projects do not experience the same delays as the Pine Lake study.
Cunningham said the city will hire a consultant to deal with individual drainage issues, allowing LaFrance to focus on larger issues.
“Part of what I don’t want to have happen is have him come back and get him bogged down with the day-to-day stuff,” Cunningham said.
Reporter Emily Keller can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or ekeller@isspress.com.
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