STEWARSHIP ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE

Steve Bunn has lived at the lake for many years, so he has "seen it all"--and has most recently assisted with the town's stormwater assessments.  His e-mail:  stewardshipofficer@whitelakenc.org

Lawn fertilizers can wash through sandy soil and enter the lake relatively quickly, doing the same thing in the lake as they do to your lawn--make it green.  Fertilizers are not needed, as there is plenty in the rain itself.

Naturalized shorelines are the best protection for lake water quality, and they have multiple benefits:  native vegetation buffers can filter out nutrients in runoff so that they do not reach the lake, the vegetation can help reduce shoreline erosion, and these naturalized areas are much less attractive to geese.  

Certain types of boats and boating use stir up the lake sediments and vegetation found in the lake bottom and also create waves which can erode shorelines.  This reduces water clarity and increases the availability of nutrients which can fuel algae growth, and microbes which can cause rashes or infections.

• Public Workshop #1, July 9, 2019  
• Communications Team:  September 12, and October 10, 2019
• Public Workshop #2, September 12, 2019
• Stormwater Mapping In Progress
• Grant Application Submitted to NC Water Infrastructure Authority for Town's Wastewater Asset Management Program--notice of approval received
• Workshop #3, November 19, 2019
• Bid opening for Phase I Wastewater R&R Project:  February 20, 2020
• Stormwater mapping work completed, sampling of outfalls underway--January-April 2020
• Town Board approves application for stormwater planning grant through Bladen Co. (Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief funding)--February 2020
• Town Board approves Lake Stewardship Officer position--Steve Bunn will fill the position--February 2020
• Technical group meetings on boating use, bird populations, Hydrilla--February 2020
• Report on nutrient assessments complete--June 2020
• Lumber River COG planning and mapping project complete June 2020

Effective lake and watershed management is based on an understanding of the ecosystem, and this comes from long-term lake monitoring as well as detailed research projects and assessments.  Human-induced changes to the system can then be evaluated and realistic management options considered.