Thompson Lake
Project Details
Client
Thompson Lake Improvement BoardLocation
Livingston County, MIScale
259 acresCompletion
OngoingThompson Lake is an impoundment with three distinct basins that were historically ponds surrounded by wetland areas. Because Thompson Lake’s bottomlands are nutrient rich, plant growth is abundant and requires a multi-faceted management approach. Each year, selective aquatic herbicides are applied to the lake to control Eurasian milfoil and curly-leaf pondweed. Mechanical harvesting is used to removed significant starry stonewort and nuisance native plant biomass each summer. Water quality monitoring focuses on phosphorus loads, oxygen content, and chlorides. Ongoing monitoring shows that cultural factors such as fertilizing lawns and road salting are having an impact on the lake’s water quality.
Objective
To control the spread of invasive exotic plants and to establish a baseline from which to gauge long-term changes in water quality.
Outcome
Mechanical harvesting and aquatic herbicide applications have successfully allowed fishermen, boaters, and swimmers to enjoy Thompson Lake.
