A sediment pond on Hague Brook is cleaned out. By slowing the flow of the stream, and allowing the sediment to settle out of the water before it flows into Lake George, the basins prevent contaminants from entering the Lake. Sediment basins also help prevent deltas from forming at the mouth of the brook.
The LGA has partnered with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District (WCSWCD), the town of Hague, and the town of Bolton to remove over 1300 cubic yards of material from eight sediment basins in the two towns. This is the equivalent of approximately 110 dump truck loads.
A 65-foot-long reach excavator was rented for two weeks to complete the work. Each town contributed money and trucking services toward the project. WCSWCD provided project oversight with the assistance of the LGA.
As water flows downstream it carries sediment with it. The sediment can settle out at the mouth of the stream, introducing contaminants and creating deltas in Lake George. By slowing the flow of the water, sediment basins allow the sediment to drop out of suspension and be captured before entering Lake George. In order for the basins to work properly they need to be cleaned out every couple of years.
In addition to cleaning out the upland basin in Hague, the flow of the stream into the basin was realigned. Originally designed to receive 50% of the stream flow, material had built up over time in the old channel, directing 100% of the flow into the basin. Using some of the excess stone onsite from when the basin was constructed, the inlet to the basin was built up so that there would once again be a 50/50 split between the basin and the old channel. In the process, some small pools were created so that fish could migrate upstream, similar to a fish ladder.
In Hague a total of four basins were cleaned out, including two basins on Hague Brook, one on Jenkins Brook, and a fourth across the street from the town beach parking lot. In addition, the public boat launch area was also cleaned. A total of 715 cubic yards of material were removed from the Hague sites. The Hague highway department hauled all of the sediment; Morrissey Construction did the excavating.
In Bolton, just over 600 cubic yards of material were removed from four basins. The basins were located on Finkle Brook, Huddle Brook, and Indian Brook. Bolton Highway Department handled all of the trucking and Morrissey Construction did the excavating. Reale Construction transported the excavator from site to site daily.
‘‘This is truly a team effort with all of the parties involved,’’ says LGA Executive Director Walt Lender. ‘‘It is really great to have the municipalities support the clean-outs every year and Jim Lieberum from Soil and Water did an excellent job working with Randy Rath, LGA’s project manager, to coordinate all of the logistics of the entire effort including project oversight.’’