Lake Information and Shoreline Protection

(click to open Comprehensive Shoreline Protection Act—A Summary of the Standards)

Why should you be concerned about the health of Sunset Lake?

Simply put, if you appreciate the value of your property and its surroundings, you need to care about and be active in maintaining the health and water quality of Sunset Lake. Poor water clarity and pollution combined with increased weeds and exotic plants have a direct impact on your waterfront property value.

How can you help?

Sunset Lake is not your personal bathtub or toilet!

Please DO NOT:

. . .  and please DO NOT FEED THE DUCKS! Feeding the ducks causes them to depend on human food and handouts instead of nature, More importantly after eating human food, it is returned into the lake as pollution.

The above mentioned pollutants will increase lake Phosphorus. (read Lake Phosphorus)

Things we should all know about living in and around the lake.

Pollution from septic systems can impact the same groundwater that is tapped for water supply wells. Septic Systems prior to 1967 had no regulations and many homes were equipped with cesspools or dry wells. These are just a hole dug in the ground with stone at the bottom for infiltration. This system offers NO treatment of wastewater prior to its entry into the soil.

Modern septic systems consist of a septic tank and a leach field. As sewage enters the tank, its rate of flow is reduced so that larger solids sink to the bottom and soaps, grease and smaller solids rise to the surface. They are then partially decomposed by bacteria and other natural processes. The leach field then takes the wastewater through a series of perforated pipes that allow the water to infiltrate through layers of stone, gravel and natural soils. Even a modern system can get clogged if it is not maintained properly and pumped out periodically. This leads to surface breakout of the wastewater and pollutes the water bodies such as lakes and ponds.

Watershed is defined as the surrounding land area that drains into that particular body of water. Lakes and ponds act as settling basins. Because water moves through lakes and ponds more slowly than rivers and streams, it allows algae (aquatic plants) time to use the nutrients for growth.

As lakes age they go through Eutrophication. This occurs when nutrients are added to a lake. The characteristics are an abundance of aquatic plants, green or turbid water and a shallow, mucky bottom. Artificial nutrient sources such as septic systems and fertilizer accelerate the decline of the lake. The more phosphorus that enters the lake the greater the algae growth and reduced water clarity. It is important to maintain or restore shoreline plantings and vegetation along the shoreline as it reduces the amount of phosphorus that enters the lake.

Groundwater is defined as a zone of saturation when the water completely fills the space between soil and rock particles. Groundwater pollution results from human use, storage, handling, and disposal of contaminants including unlined landfills, underground fuel storage tanks, and septic systems. You can make a difference by ensuring your systems are in good working order.

Wetlands are defined as those areas between aquatic and land areas such as bogs, marshes, salt marshes, swamps, and riperian areas. Wetlands are a critical habitat for many kinds of plants, animals, birds, fish, some of which are endangered species. Wetlands have important functions; They act as flood storage reservoirs, prevent erosion, they trap eroded sediment and harmful bacteria from entering the water and filter out excess nutrients.

Important points to remember: