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by Gary Aho, NRCS Torch Lake Project Manager
With the completion of the Mason sands this fall, all of the stamp sands sites on Torch Lake have been treated. Wind and water erosion on the sands has been stopped and the dust storms are no more. Erosion in the past, which was calculated to be 19-25 tons per acre per year, was preventing the lake from helping itself through natural sedimentation. The EPA decided not to treat the lake bottom in hopes that natural sedimentation will build up an organic layer over time, which will improve the habitat for bottom dwelling organisms. The Lake Linden, Hubbell/Tamarack City, and Mason sites (486 acres) completes approximately 73% of the total project. The EPA is looking at the possibility of de-listing Torch Lake itself from the Superfund Site so it will no longer have that designation. These sites will continue to be fertilized each spring and EPA will be responsible for the maintenance of the sites until 2007 at which time the landowners will take over the responsibility of maintenance.
The Torch Lake Superfund Site Project will move to Portage Lake next year with the treatment of Point Mills and the Dollar Bay slags which total approximately 125 acres. The final engineering designs and bid packets are being completed this fall and construction is expected to begin in June of 2002.
The EPA completed a baseline study of Torch Lake during the summer of 1999 and 2000. During the study the EPA found that the diversity of species and abundance of individual organisms at the bottom of the lake appears to be low. The sediment samples tend to be dominated by midges, aquatic worms, and snails, which indicates that the sediments are degraded and impacted. The data from the 1999 and 2000 sampling events establish a baseline condition. Results of benthic community sam-pling performed in association with future monitoring on the lake can be compared to this baseline condition to assess changes in the sediments over time.
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