HASSO HERING

A perspective from Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley

Where they put the muck from Waverly Lake

Written August 18th, 2023 by Hasso Hering

The bike took me to where the material from Waverly Lake is being stored.

So what happens with the green muck that’s being pulled out of Waverly Lake in Albany? For yesterday’s report I forgot to ask, so today I thought I’d better nail that down.

This morning the bike took me back out to Waverly Lake, where the crew from Aquatic Harvesting was in the third day of removing weeds and algae from the water.

Two were piloting the paddle-wheeled machines that were gathering up the unwanted growth. The third was about to take off with a trailer loaded with the stuff.

From him, I gathered that the material was being spread on land to be dried out. He didn’t know the address of this algae dump, but from his description I gathered that it was somewhere near the city park shops in Timber Linn Park.

I rode over there, and a kind park maintenance employee pointed to a distant spot near the end of Timber Lake, on the far side of the open no-leash section of the city’s dog park. The rough terrain is no problem on a mountain bike, so I went that way.

And yes, there they were, the piles of green weeds pulled from Waverly Lake:

Piles of Waverly Lake weeds are lying in the sun to dry out. In the background, Timber Lake.

 

This was the lake in Timber Linn Park on Friday morning. Unlike Waverly Lake, it was almost completely clear of algae and green growth.

Once the green, smelly stuff from Waverly is dry, I gather it may become useful for something related to farming or gardening. What exactly, I don’t know. (hh)





18 responses to “Where they put the muck from Waverly Lake”

  1. Dave says:

    I sure hope it doesn’t invade the lake there!

  2. Alton Costephens says:

    How’s it affecting the fish in the lake

  3. Don says:

    Really be good for a garden or field for soil health.

  4. dave says:

    Good point Dave. Hope that doesn’t leave any residues and is removed soon. Why take it upstream,just to have chance it has a free ride back to original location and infest waters on the way.

  5. Bill Kapaun says:

    I would imagine they’ll let it dry and then ship to Coffin Butte for compost. Or have all the city employees take some home and put it in their yard waste bins.

  6. Patty Shellito says:

    But why was this done at the end of summer rather at the beginning?

    • Hasso Hering says:

      Because the contractor could not get here sooner.

      • Hasso Hering says:

        City spokesman Matt Harrington adds: “Yes, but also because to maximize the effectiveness of harvesting process the algae must be at peak bloom. Originally the contractor was scheduled to work in July, not the beginning of summer.”

        • Bill Kapaun says:

          “City spokesman Matt Harrington adds: “Yes, but also because to maximize the effectiveness of harvesting process the algae must be at peak bloom.”…

          That doesn’t work for our lawns, why would it work for a water based weed? It seems you’d want to scrape/dredge the bottom of the pond.

          Algae contain chlorophyll but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue. From your pics, it looks like a lot stuff piled up that algae doesn’t have.

          • Hasso Hering says:

            I agree that the stuff pulled from Waverly Lake does not look like algae. It clearly has stems and leaves. It’s some kind of water weed, but what?

  7. Fred Muller says:

    Does it make for swarms of mosquitoes and other bugs just in time for the art and air festival

  8. Tracy says:

    All the sewer waste though gross

  9. Cheryl Graham Leonard says:

    Good question for research—since they put near the open dog park—is this stuff toxic to dogs (like blue algae)? There was a sewage spill in Waverly sometime in the last year, I imagine there could at least be e. Coli, which I wouldn’t want my dog wallowing in. Should dog parents be warned about this?

  10. Michelle tatum says:

    While they have the boats sitting ,can’t they use em in other mucky places. Freeway lakes,river. Keep em busy cleaning up.

  11. Susan Johnson says:

    Just want to say THANK YOU HASSO, for this informative community link! And I love that you do your investigating from the seat of a BICYCLE. You are APPRECIATED.

 

 
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