Due to the rerouting of air traffic, Santa has been delayed and will still only be running once, however the new time is 1:00PM. He will see you then.

Santa will once again brave the cold, well actually only one time this year. He will start his journey around the lake at 10:00 near the entry to the Ice Rink cove and circumnavigate the lake in the proper counter clockwise direction. It takes 20+ minutes to make his ride so be sure to be out there waiting for him and throw him a friendly wave. Grab the young ones and old ones early and be sure not to miss him as you only have one chance this year!

Well the last treatment run didn’t last too long. Clover Creek has stopped running a bit early this year and the reduced amount of fresh water entering the lake has lowered the levels slightly and increased the algae counts greatly. We will be doing a 2 day treatment this Thursday, the 26th of August and Friday, the 27th. This is in an effort to maintain a higher dissolved oxygen level which will help to keep the fish attrition lower than the last treatment. The South basin will be treated on Thursday, then the North basin the following day. Your docks will be posted with the mandatory no water activity directive as it has been in the past. Again the manufacturers of the Hydrothol do not list a swimming restriction on their MSDS sheets. If you are on the lake during the treatment periods, please be mindful of the the applicators boats as not to create wake problems for them. They would greatly appreciate it.

Well, its been a good run for us from the algae considering the heat we have experienced so far this summer. As in all things in life, it must come to an end. We are seeing a high level of algae in portions of the lake, enough so that we will be treating this week, Thursday and Friday. Again the product being used will be Hydrothol 191. While we must post a swimming restriction, the manufactures MSDS sheet does not have that restriction.

In addition to algae treatment, there will spot treatments around the lake for weed growth. If you draw water from the lake to irrigate your landscaping, please refrain from doing so for 48 hours unit there is full dissipation from the lake waters.

Once again its time for our 4th of July boat parade. Decorate your boats with your 4th of July decorations, horses, eagles, Uncle Sam’s, pirate treasure chest or decorated dog, and join us if you can, to participate in the parade. Parade of boats, SeaDoo’s, kayaks, RC boats, or what ever else you have that can move through the water, will start at the south side of the bridge. Be there at 10:00 AM for a 10:15 departure.

Please keep in mind that if you have a very slow moving boat, like say a dock-boat or SUP, please toward the back of the line as we are trying to keep all the participants tightly together. Last year we had some large gaps because of slower boats. If necessary feel free to carefully pass them. Thank you.

For those that want to watch, please come out and wave the boaters on. The parade will leave the bridge area heading south and onwards around the lake. The whole parade tour will take between about an 60 to 90 minutes to circumnavigate the lake, so time your locale accordingly.

As with all the spring growth and flowering in your yard, so to the lake is blooming, but not so much in a way we can enjoy. So, our summer treatments begin with the the first inoculation to the lake of Diqauat. This is the same product we have used for many years to eradicate the weeds. For a time anyway….

Treatment will begin on Monday the 21st and conclude on the 22nd. You should see postings on your docks Saturday the 14th. The State requires for any type of treatment a 48 hour swimming restriction be included on the dock postings. However, the manufactures MSDS does not require such a restriction.

If at all possible please refrain from lake boating during the treatment activity. If you are on the water, please keep a large distance from the treatment barge as it will “rock the boat” and pose a safety risk to applicators.

HE RIDES AGAIN

Santa will once again visit the residents and guests of Lake Steilacoom on Christmas Day. Get out on your docks to wave Santa on. He will be starting on the North end of the lake, head into the lagoon and then make the counterclockwise loop. He won’t be out long so make sure you are out on your docks and decks. 

His first visit will be at 9:00 AM for he early birds, and for you sleepy heads, again at 1:00 PM. Lets all get out there and cheer him and his elves on. Will the Grinch be there again this year? Nobody knows.

The lake lowering has started. Get ready to do your bulkhead or other beachfront maintenance that the higher water has kept you from performing. It will take approximately 2-2 ½ weeks to reach its low level depending on the rainfall during this time. Lots of rain will obviously slow that process down. If you suffer from shallow-itis where your boat is moored, you may want to take it out in the coming week.

Final 2020 Treatment

Some of you are experience clear waters in at your homes and some are experiencing wind rowed thick green algae. We have tested the lake several times over the past few weeks and watched the phosphorous levels rise feeding the algae which a cause for concern. The flock in the water has increased and we are now on the cusp of a bloom. As there is one final treatment approved in this years budget, rather than risk a toxic bloom and being closed by the Pierce County Health Department, we will be treating the lake on Monday and maybe on to Tuesday, September 21st & 22nd. A notice should be posted on your dock or lakefront this weekend. Again, the notice will have a swimming restriction, however, the manufacturers MSDS does not list a restriction. 

As with all treatment, if you irrigate from the lake, refrain from using lake water for 48 hours after treatment. We only had a couple of boats active on the water during the last treatment and would appreciate if everyone could stay off the water during the treatment applications.

Hope everyone has been enjoying these warm/hot days on the lake. What a treat to be able to cool down in the nice clear lake waters of lake Steilacoom. As we all know, all good things must come to an end and our clear toxic free waters show signs of that potentially coming to an end as soon as this coming weekend.

Never fear, however, as the approved budget allows for more future treatments. To keep our waters as nice as we can, the decision has been made to treat on Monday, August 24th. Again our lake consultants at Northwest Aquatics Eco-Systems will be applying Hydrothol 191 to eradicate the algae. 

Postings taking place the Saturday before with standard dock notices. As a reminder if you irrigate you lawns and plants from the lake to turn OFF your pumps for 48 hours on Monday the 24th. Also, while the posting language is mandated by the Department of Ecology with swimming restrictions, the manufacturers MSDS sheets do not have that restriction.

The big change for this application is the two basins will be independently closed during treatment, one at a time. An unfortunate accident happened on another lake which resulted in the sinking of the application vessel, excess chemical displacement and risk to the workers applying the chemicals. Fortunately no one was hurt, and we want to make sure that a boater on Lake Steilacoom doesn’t create adverse news headlines fo us. Please stay off the water during this treatment. You will have the late afternoon and evening to enjoy that day safely. 

Stay safe and off the water on the 24th!