Dredging Rehoboth's Silver Lake? UPDATE: Fish Kill in Lake
Fish kill hits Rehoboth’s Silver Lake
Rehoboth Beach — Hundreds, likely thousands of fish are dead in Rehoboth Beach’s Silver Lake in the first fish kill there since 2008.
Dead fish could be seen floating from the Bayard Avenue bridge to Rehoboth Elementary School. Most appeared to be small perch or bass.
Rehoboth City Manager Greg Ferrese said the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish and Wildlife was called and has responded. Representatives from the division were not available for comment.
The last fish kill at Silver Lake occurred April 26, 2008, when low dissolved- oxygen levels decimated the lake’s largemouth bass population.
Todd Fritchman of Envirotech reported the 2008 fish kill, and he speculated similar factors may be at work in this one. He has not yet viewed the scene, but Fritchman said low dissolved-oxygen levels, caused by the high heat this summer, could have contributed to the kill. He said the hotter the water, the less dissolved oxygen the lake will hold.
Fritchman said other factors could be sediment from runoff and bacteria blooms.
Funding sought to dredge Rehoboth's Silver Lake
Water quality will be improved, Cooper says
By Ryan Mavity
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Cape Gazette June 30, 2012
The west end of Silver Lake could be dredged this year if city and state officials can secure $300,000 for the project.
Chuck Williams, project manager of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section, said the state has at least $200,000 available for dredging in its 21st Century fund. Williams said $100,000 more is needed to meet the state’s cost estimate.
The west end, bordered by Silver Lake Park and Rehoboth Elementary School, has been plagued by stormwater runoff and shoreline erosion, which together have reduced the depth of the lake.
Commissioner Stan Mills said, “The result is poor water quality and aquatic environment and also loss of recreational boating opportunities.' When the water level is reduced by evaporation and too little rainfall, the lake bottom is exposed, creating odorous mudflats thick with fast-growing vegetation including invasive species such as phragmities, Mills said.
The city has attempted to remedy the situation with vegetative buffers on city land and two stormceptors, which capture sediments and oil before they go into the lake.
“But to address filling in of the lake, the most vital step is to dredge the finger of Silver Lake to a depth comparable to other areas of the lake,” Mills said.
Sallie Forman, president of Save Our lakes Alliance3, said, “Sediment would be removed starting at about Scarborough Ave., and going to the west end to a depth of three feet, totaling about 5,000 cubic yards.”
The banks off Silver Lake Park have been proposed as a staging area.
“If everything falls into place, the project could start as early as late fall 2012,” Forman said. She said there will be community outreach beforehand, especially for property owners along the west end.
Mayor Sam Cooper said he has encouraged the state to dredge the west end because it will help the overall health of the lake. He said homeowners at the west end complain the lake is too shallow, while homeowners on the east end complain there is too much water.
Cooper said if the lake were dredged, it would deepen the west end back to the level it has historically been, better balancing the lake. He acknowledged the city may need to come up with some funding for the project, but how much is still up in the air.
Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, said while one can never count on the money being there until the budget is approved, he is very optimistic the funds will be there for dredging Silver Lake.
Schwartzkopf said he is confident the state will secure some funding, but he said the city needs to kick in some funds as well. The state budget needs to be approved before Saturday, June 30.
“I think it will happen,” Schwartzkopf said.
Planners ponder no-build zone
Meanwhile, the Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission is still working on its report to the city commissioners detailing possible new regulations for building around the lakes.
Chairman Preston Littleton said the report will aim for an allencompassing approach, putting into layman’s terms how the average citizen is responsible for stewardship of the lake.
The commission is mulling putting in its report a 10-foot nomow or no-build zone, along
with bank stabilization measures in an effort to reduce stormwater runoff, pollutants and sediment buildup in the lakes.
The planners discussed giving private property owners two years to either establish a 10-foot no-mow zone or, establish bank stablization such as riprap or a bulkhead, Littleton said. Planners would prefer lake property owners to develop natural buffers, rather than installing riprap or a bulkhead. However, Littleton said, the measures taken will depend on what is most appropriate for specific properties.
He said most property owners around the lake already have a natural buffer, riprap or bulkhead.
Littleton said the commission has made no decisions, and is planning to meet with representatives from DNREC to discuss its work so far. He said he hopes to have a rough draft of the report by the commission’s next meeting, Friday, July 13.
