Lake Potomac sediment removal may cost $500,000

Lindenhurst officials estimate it will cost $500,000 to remove the sediment from Lake Potomac.

However, coming up with the money for such a project may be another question.

“Some of the concerns are that residents don't want to pay and they want the village to pay, and the reality is we just don't have the money laying around,” Mayor Susan Lahr said Thursday.

One option may be the creation of a special service area for the 14-acre lake, in which the cost would be divided among homeowners in a designated area and spread out over as many as 15 years.

Another option is to work on a smaller portion of the lake and remove some of the sediment using a vacuum or suction process, which will cost around $20,000, officials said during a village board meeting Monday.

The man-made lake at Grass Lake Road and Federal Parkway has an average depth of only 2½ feet. If the sediment is not removed, it will continue to build and reduce the water depth and possibly revert to its original state as a wetlands area. The sediment build up limits boating and swimming use and makes the lake uninhabitable for fish, officials said.

A recent survey of the 161 residents in the Lake Potomac watershed and lakefront indicated some support for private funding to solve the problem.

Of the 44 respondents in the watershed, 60 percent said they would be willing to make some financial contribution. However, the results indicate less support by people living along the lake, officials said.

The survey results also showed property value and appearance were most important to the residents in terms of the lake.

“The next step in the sediment removal process is for the board to communicate with the residents in the watershed and specifically ask them if they are willing to participate in a special services area which will be the vehicle that residents would pay for these proposed improvements,” Village Administrator Matt Formica said.

The issue won't be addressed again until the end of August to give the board time to contact residents and gather their feedback on the idea of a special services area.