$5.5 million project to restore Trinski Island on Pistakee Lake

Trinski Island on Pistakee Lake used to be a 65-acre oasis with blooming trees and abundant wildlife.

That is until 100 years of the Fox River flowing through the Chain O' Lakes reduced the island to little more than a 7-acre "eyesore."

Pockmarked with brown weeds and dead trees, it's one spot most boaters avoid when crossing under the bridge between Nippersink and Pistakee lakes.

"It really is an eyesore," said Ingrid Danler, executive director of the Fox Waterway Agency in Fox Lake. "This is an opportunity for us to bring that island back to prominence."

That opportunity is an ambitious five-year, $5.5 million project designed to restore Trinski Island, create a nature preserve and turn it into a destination for boaters.

However, some homeowners near Governor's Channel northwest of the island said the restoration project will turn their expensive lake view into a channel view.

"I pay taxes for lakefront property, not channel front property," homeowner Tracy Sage said. "I don't believe the Fox Waterway Agency should have the power to do something like this."

Both sides will be able to talk out their issues during a public information meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the agency headquarters, 45 S. Pistakee Lake Road, Fox Lake.

Danler said the plan is to use a combination of construction techniques to rebuild the island to 50 acres. It would then be restored to include a nature preserve featuring boat docks, walking trails, a boardwalk, observation decks, and fish and bird habitats.

Work is scheduled to begin next spring.

Another hope is the natural habitats will be a nesting ground for sea hawks, a 2-foot bird of prey that migrates through the Chain.

"We are rebuilding the island on the exact footprint where it once stood," Danler said. "Everyone involved in this really thought outside the box when coming up with this entire idea."

Danler said the plan is to use steel mesh boxes lined internally with geotube fabric skins to create the island perimeter.

Rocks and other riprap will be put on the outside of the island to keep the boxes in place to protect the island from waves. Then, the agency will place 50-acres of muck sucked from the bottom of Pistakee Lake inside the boxed perimeter.

She said the basic idea for rebuilding the island has been done in various locations throughout the Chain, but this time, new technology coupled with existing designs should create an area people can be proud of.

"We are really excited about it," Danler said. "Every success with any project we've had on the Chain will be put into this one island and used to help recreate this island."

But Sage said she and other homeowners along Governor's Channel have several concerns about the project that should be addressed before any construction permits being issued by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

She said it's unclear if the waterway agency can get the job done in five years as proposed, but even so, she does not want to stare at construction equipment on the lakeside of her home during that time.

Sage also wonders if the muck dredged from the lake bottom could lead to horrible smells wafting into her home every summer.

"Why doesn't the agency focus on stopping the flooding that happens every year instead of displacing more water by rebuilding this island," she said. "Overall, there are a lot of issues here that aren't being addressed."

Danler said all the issues brought up will be explored before construction beginning in spring 2011.

She added the island would be a benefit to Governor's Channel residents because that area will be dredged to depth of about 10 feet.

She said the overall cost of the island is expected to be about $5.5 million. Of that cost, the Fox Waterway Agency will be on the hook for about $1.875 million, Danler said. The rest will be covered through legislative grants and capital state funds, she added.

However, she said, if the waterway agency was not recreating the island, they would have to mechanically dredge Pistakee Lake, then haul away the muck in dump trucks.

The cost to haul away 40,000 dumptruck loads of muck dredged from the area surrounding the island would be about $8.9 million, or an overall cost savings of about $3.4 million if the island is rebuilt.

"Not to mention the cost of putting it at the drying site and then trying to resell it," she said. "We can keep that dredged material here and put it to good use."

Mike Deron, avid boater and administrator of the Chain O' Lakes boating Web site funonthefox.com, said the island would be a huge asset for the boaters, but he understands the complaints of nearby residents.

"I think it's a decent project that will give boaters one more thing to do on the Chain," Deron said. "I can see where the property owners are coming from, but they will still have waterfront property, and lets be honest, there are worse things to look at than a nature preserve."