Hydromate Begins Installation of Silt Control Booms The Chautauqua Lake Association's Hydromate has arrived at the mouth of Goose Creek in Ashville Bay to begin installing silt control booms in preparation for the commencement of dredging operations.
"The purpose of the dredging is to provide a navigation channel to the lake," said Paul Swanson, CLA general manager. "A navigation lane will be established going in and out of the creek." The need for dredging was identified by the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission. Goose Creek was determined to be the best location point to test tributary sediment build-up dredging on Chautauqua Lake. "We will be initiating a bucket digging operation to remove the sediment and then place it in baskets on a barge for transport to shore and land disposal by CLA trucks," Swanson said. "An area in the lake will be curtained off so loose sediment cannot flow elsewhere into the lake." Although the CLA has helped to assemble funds for dredging by other lake organizations in the past, this is the first time the non-profit group has performed the service by itself. The project was approved in conjunction with the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission and the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation administers the permit to perform the dredging and determines the parameters of activity. The Hydromate was a donation to the CLA provided by the Sheldon Foundation. "This project, in conjunction with good tributary management, helps to improve future lake conditions and that's what the CLA is looking forward to,'' Swanson said. |
