The Puslinch Lake Conservation Association has a new approach to preserve Canada?s largest kettle lake; one that officials say will not involve the Ministry of the Environment.
On Feb. 15 association president Art Zymerman said the new approach will likely double the speed of restoration work at the lake, which is about 163 hectares or 400 acres in size.
?It is a big change in how we are looking at cleaning out the lake,? Zymerman said.
Rather than a hydraulic dredge, three barges would be purchased, as well as an excavator for the main barge, he explained.
?It?s like a steam shovel on a barge as it scoops out material from the bottom of the lake.?
Zymerman said the advantage in that approach is instead of removing 90% water, the material removed now would be 90% solid.
It can be carted away sooner, is easier to dispose of and does not need a holding pond to let the material settle. And there are no worries about excess water going into the aquifer.
?We have spent the past two and a half years trying to find a system to appease everyone and to come up with a plan to continue use of the hydraulic dredge. We?d gotten to the point where we said – this isn?t feasible,? Zymerman said.
Meeting the requirements of the MOE and other ministries would have required a $400,000 investment.
?That would bankrupt us.?
As a result, the group chose a different path.
Zymerman described the hydraulic dredge used in the past as a giant snowblower on a pontoon connected through pipes.
?The reason we?re moving away from that process, is that over the past several years, it has created a number of different concerns. But the bigger challenge is the process only pulls 15% sediment and the rest is water.?
The water had to go into a holding pond to settle, resulting in implications to the aquifer and the environment.
The new approach is not dependent on the weather, and the machinery is less complex and therefore more reliable.
A separate dredging company would be created for the actual work, while the association would continue the work on the lake stewardship and fundraising to operate the system.
Using the new approach, Zymerman anticipated work being completed in five to six years. He said that approach will allow for the removal of two-and-a-half times more material.
Zymerman said it would also allow for dredging on all parts of the lake and now be depende
