It’s a fact of life at the lake.  Fall leaves and other stray items float to the east end and gather along the shoreline.  One place that’s particularly vulnerable is the shore at the County Park.  Part of the shore is unusable to swimmers because of the lily pads and other vegetation.  The swim area becomes unusable because of the collection of flotsam that settles to the bottom.  Today Bendele Construction was on the scene at the behest of Jackson County to clean it up. 

Bill Bendele comments “at one time, prisoners did this kind of work.  When that stopped, the County asked us to do the work.”  Benedele’s crew has been at it for the last three of four years.  “To get a head start, we began work at the boat launch while the ice was still on the lake.”  The work in the swim area requires special equipment. “I designed a special bucket that acts like a strainer…it dips down, scrapes the leaves, but leaves the bottom intact, and the water returns to the lake.” Bill reports that five truckloads of crud were hauled away today.  “The leaves rot, it creates a bad odor–not too healthy.” According the Bill, the refuse goes to a compost pile where it begins a new life as top soil. 

Photos by John Deming