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“Why does our HOA need a lake management company?”

“Why does our HOA need a lake management company?”

Sometimes, aquatic management is viewed as a frivolous or unnecessary expense for a community. “My lake looks fine, why should I pay to have someone take care of it?” 
Most people that live on lakes also see them differently than someone who maintains them. The difference is homeowners tend to look “at” the water, where as waterway managers look “in” the water. Too often people put off lake maintenance until they see a problem and weed populations have already become established. 
As a property owner or property manager, it’s valuable to have a company that will respond to these unexpected outbreaks. Every lake matures differently, and it takes a combination of experience and expertise to maintain a healthy balance as changes occur. 
Allstate Resource Management’s staff is always there to answer your questions and works to ensure excellent results in any lake management situation. 
Contact us today on how we can help your community lake!
Direct: 954-382-9766
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3 Reasons Your Lake Management Plan Isn’t Working by SOLitude

3 Reasons Your Lake Management Plan Isn’t Working by SOLitude

Lakes are dynamic ecosystems that are sensitive to their surroundings. As environmental conditions evolve, so does your waterbody, which means your current management plan may become ineffective.

Learn the 3 reasons your management plan may stop working and how to prevent it.

 

3 Reasons Why Your Lake Management Plan Isn’t Working

If you own or manage a lake or pond, you’ve probably observed gradual, sometimes undesirable changes. Despite responsible management, unforeseen issues can unexpectedly arise, causing complaints and significant challenges for those overseeing them. The fact is, lakes and ponds are dynamic ecosystems that are very sensitive to their surroundings. Even with a well-tailored management program in place, things change. If you find that your current plan isn’t yielding the desired results, it’s crucial to identify and address the underlying issues.

Here are three common reasons why your lake management plan may not be working as intended:

1. Your Lake Management Plan Is Outdated

One of the primary reasons that your lake or pond is responding differently to your management plan is that it’s outdated. Though your management program was initially tailored to the unique characteristics and needs of your waterbody, over time, your goals may change, budget constraints may shift, or alterations to your property could impact the aquatic ecosystem. For example, if you initially designed the lake for aesthetic purposes, but now wish to utilize it for fishing, the management approach needs to evolve accordingly.

Even seemingly minor changes may have big impacts. For example, removing a nearby tree can increase sun exposure, raising the risk of depleted dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Perhaps an invasive species was introduced to your waterbody, leading to shoreline erosion or obstructed stormwater equipment. Or, modifications in landscaping practices, such as switching maintenance companies or starting a garden, could cause new pesticides or fertilizers to enter the ecosystem. These products can significantly alter the natural chemistry of the water, as well as the dynamics within the food chain.

Addressing An Outdated Plan

To address changes of any degree, it’s crucial to regularly reassess and update your management plan to align with your current needs and environmental conditions. This process often begins with water quality testing to take a closer look at characteristics like dissolved oxygen, nutrient concentrations, and the presence of algal toxins or pollutants. From there, many different solutions can be deployed to help restore balance. These may include nutrient remediation products, beneficial bacteria, pond fountains, or lake aerators.

Through an ongoing management plan, professionals conduct testing and visual surveys on a routine basis, allowing them to identify potential issues early. This proactive approach allows for adjustments in management strategies before problems escalate.

2. Climate Change

The impact of climate change on lakes and ponds cannot be underestimated. Increasing summer temperatures lead to increased water evaporation, potentially causing waterbodies to shrink and lose depth. If not addressed, a waterbody can shrink until it’s no more than a puddle. Costly dredging will be required to reset the waterbody to its original depth and volume.

Water evaporation also exposes shorelines to harsh environmental elements, leading to increased erosion or collapse. Harsher winters and tropical storms may exacerbate the damage, posing additional challenges for shoreline stability.  Erosion contributes to many water quality issues, such as muck development, cloudiness, foul odors, and heightened risks of flooding. Additionally, eroded shorelines can pose hazards and liabilities. In severe cases, a complete shoreline restoration may be required using bioengineering techniques and materials.

These changes may further threaten the delicate balance of an ecosystem. Diminished water depth affects aquatic habitats and organisms by depleting dissolved oxygen levels and increasing temperatures throughout the water column. Fish, in particular, are sensitive to these fluctuations and fish kills may become more likely as a result.

Seasonal weather conditions are escalating nationwide, but Northern states have experienced some of the most pronounced changes. The growing season is starting earlier and lasting longer, extending the window for nuisance weeds, algae, and toxic cyanobacteria to proliferate.

To counteract the effects of climate change, lake management plans must incorporate adaptive strategies that consider the evolving environmental conditions and their impact on the water.

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3. Urban Development and Nutrient Pollution

The encroachment of urban development poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems. Stormwater runoff introduces a cocktail of contaminants into the water, transporting pollutants from impermeable surfaces like parking lots and sidewalks. Trash, fertilizers, animal waste, and chemical products may cause nutrient levels to become more concentrated. These conditions foster the growth of nuisance pond weeds and toxin-producing algae that are harmful to humans and deadly to fish, dogs, livestock, and other animals.

In response to nuisance growth, stakeholders often resort to short-lived solutions such as EPA-registered herbicides and algaecides. However, these treatments only address the symptoms and not the root cause. To tackle this issue effectively, lake and pond management plans should incorporate comprehensive stormwater management strategies.

 

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HOA Parking Lot Flooded over the weekend? Now is the time to give Allstate Resource Management a call!

HOA Parking Lot Flooded over the weekend? Now is the time to give Allstate Resource Management a call!

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2024
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HOA Parking Lot Flooded over the weekend?

 

Now is the time to give

Allstate Resource Management a call!

Our schedule is filling up fast for storm drain cleanings, the rain that occurred this past weekend was a preview of what this summer will look like for your HOA community.

Contact us to talk to a Stormwater Specialist today!

Contact us at 954-382-9766 or info@allstatemanagement.com
Allstate Resource Management | 6900 S.W. 21st Court, Bldg. 9, Davie, FL 33404
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Top 7 Reasons to Introduce Lake and Pond Aeration by SOLitude

Top 7 Reasons to Introduce Lake and Pond Aeration by SOLitude

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2024
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Top 7 Reasons to Introduce Lake and Pond Aeration

underwater-aeration submersed diffused aerationPond aeration is the simple, yet effective, process of increasing oxygen levels in a pond and can not only greatly enhance the aesthetic beauty of a pond, but can also improve the natural systems taking place beneath the water’s surface.

Aeration creates destratification of the water column, as lakes and ponds typically consist of stratified layers separated mainly by different temperatures and oxygen levels. Natural resource and environmental managers are often challenged by problems caused by lake and pond stratification.

 

 

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Boost Oxygen Levels with Pond Fountains or Aerators

Through surface aeration with floating fountains, surface aerators, or bottom-diffused aeration, with a compressor pushing air through weighted diffusers, the main purpose of aeration is to increase and stabilize the amount of dissolved oxygen in the entire water column. Aeration systems can have a widespread effect on many different aspects of pond and lake health and can be operated by solar or windmill power if running electricity to your waterbody is not feasible.

 

 

Here are 7 Reasons to Add a Floating Fountain or Pond Aerator

  1. Aeration can help balance water quality, thus reducing water quality problems faced by lake and pond owners and helping “clean” the water of cloudiness and odors.
  2. Submersed aerators help circulate the water column, introducing oxygen throughout.
  3. Aeration helps reduce the amount of free-reactive phosphorus in a pond through oxidation.
  4. Floating fountain aerators are aesthetically pleasing, providing distinction and splendor.
  5. Aeration decreases mosquito activity by creating ripples and moving water.
  6. Aeration provides an oxygen-rich environment in the pond, promoting a healthy habitat for fish and other aquatic life.
  7. Aerators help reduce the overall accumulation of organic sediment on the bottom of the pond.

 

 

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Create Healthy, Beautiful Water with Fountains and Aerators

Implementing the use of an aeration system is a proactive, and cost-effective approach to controlling a variety of challenges when it comes to pond and lake management. Aeration can drastically improve the health of an aquatic ecosystem. With more balanced water quality, troublesome and hazardous issues like algae and aquatic weeds are less likely to develop.

If a healthy pond is a goal, then aeration is one of the first steps one should take toward achieving a beautiful and balanced ecosystem.

SOLitude Lake Management is a nationwide environmental firm committed to providing sustainable solutions that improve water quality, enhance beauty and preserve natural resources.

SOLitude’s team of aquatic scientists specializes in the development and execution of customized lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management programs. Services include water quality testing and restoration, algae and aquatic weed control, installation and maintenance of fountains and aeration systems, shoreline erosion control, muck and sediment removal and invasive species management. SOLitude partners with homeowners associations, golf courses, private landowners, businesses and municipalities. SOLitude Lake Management is part of Rentokil, a leading business services company, operating across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

For more information, visit SOLitude Lake Management at solitudelakemanagement.com, and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact SOLitude from their membership page on SFPMA Members Directory

 

Learn more by watching the Educational Video

Let’s Talk Fountains & Aeration: An Interview with Our Aeration Expert

March 21, 2023 11:00 am

We often talk about the importance of fountains and aeration, but what exactly is aeration and what does it do for lakes and ponds that makes it so vital? With…

WATCH RECORDING

 

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Understanding Your Lake “Our Lake Was Never Like This Before”

Understanding Your Lake “Our Lake Was Never Like This Before”

A lake is a living, and ever evolving thing. Many people think a lake is static and unchanging like a swimming pool.
Often, we hear “I’ve lived on this lake for years and it’s never been like this before. What’s going on?”
The simple answer is: You’re lake is getting older and as it matures it’s going to go through changes. This is
especially true in South Florida since most of our lakes are man made, shallow and quite new in comparison to the natural lakes that occur in other parts of the country.
To add to the situation, our lakes are connected directly to storm water drains and canals, increasing sources of input. Community lakes may provide nice scenery but their primary purpose is to catch and hold rainwater from storms so our neighborhoods don’t flood. That water carries with it anything it picks up as is flows across our properties, down the streets, and through our developments. Items such as dirt, fertilizer, grass clippings, pet waste, leaves, and petroleum products are carried into our lakes via storm flow and accompanying winds where they begin to accumulate.
Everything from lake depth to water chemistry is changed (ever so slightly) every rainy season. Year after year the subtle changes build until finally, the cumulative result becomes visually obvious. Another source for change that often goes unnoticed is the constant barrage of new weeds and plants introduced to our lakes by wildlife. Waterways provide an oasis and convenient habitat for migrating water birds. Every season they travel great distances, hopping from lake to lake; carrying new weeds and transferring them to each water body as they go.
Therefore, if the observation is “Our lake wasn’t like this 5 years ago.” The response is “That’s because it’s not the same lake it was 5 years ago.” The long standing relationship Allstate has had with many of its customers has given us tremendous experience in handling the changes that naturally occur with community lakes over time. Feel free to contact us and let our staff work with your specific waterway needs.
Author: Stephen Montgomery, Allstate Resource Management
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Learn how to identify erosion and explore the effective methods to repair damage. by SOLitude Lake

Learn how to identify erosion and explore the effective methods to repair damage. by SOLitude Lake

  • Posted: Feb 14, 2024
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Learn how to identify erosion and explore the effective methods to repair damage.

Identifying Signs of Shoreline Erosion

What Does Shoreline Erosion Look Like?

Shoreline erosion is one of the most difficult, if not impossible, problems for pond owners to control. And while a new shoreline can be engineered, proactive management is much easier and more cost-effective. To keep your shoreline healthy for as long as possible, it’s important to understand the signs of shoreline degradation – some more obvious than others.

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Shrinking appearance

Imagine digging a small hole in your yard. What would it look like a month later? How about a year? Chances are, it will look indistinguishable from the surrounding earth because it has filled back in. Your pond undergoes the same process, though it may take decades before you notice that its capacity to hold water has decreased since the first time you saw it.

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Steep drops, islands, and peninsulas

Deep ruts and steep, crumbling drop-offs are an obvious sign of erosion, but the appearance of “peninsulas” and irregular contours along the bank may be an early clue of degradation. The formation of islands, often covered in emergent plant growth, can also indicate that the waterbody is unevenly filling with sediment.

Muck and flooding

Once sediment has eroded into a waterbody, it tends to stay there. Over time, it will become incorporated with pollutants, animal waste, and decomposing plant matter, creating a thick muck on the bottom. As depth and volume slowly decrease due to the build-up, there is a greater risk of flooding during heavy rainstorms.

Exposed pipes or root systems

As water levels drop and shoreline deterioration worsens, it’s not uncommon for roots and stormwater pipes to become visible. In addition to being aesthetically displeasing, this could result in significant property damage and leave property owners liable for any injuries that occur as a result.

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Cloudy water

Even if the shoreline appears to be in good condition, solids suspended in the water column could be a sign of erosion. Though this is common after it rains, as stormwater picks up sediment when it flows into the water, prolonged cloudiness may be cause for concern.

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Burrowing animals and sinking earth

Burrowing animals like muskrats, Norway rats, invasive armored catfish, and some mole species are both a sign and a cause of shoreline erosion. Not only do the channels they dig weaken the shore and increase the risk of collapse, but they also make it easier for water to escape.

Monitoring for Erosion Damage

Erosion is a natural phenomenon that occurs in every waterbody, but human activity can significantly speed up the process. Partnering with an aquatic expert to implement proactive solutions is essential to maintain a stable shoreline.

In addition to regular monitoring, professionals recommend cultivating a buffer of native vegetation around the entire perimeter of a waterbody, allowing them to grow approximately knee-high to lessen the force of rainwater as it washes over the shoreline. Beneficial buffers also have complex root systems that help hold soil in place.

 

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4 “Tricks” to a Healthier Lake! by Allstate Resource Management

4 “Tricks” to a Healthier Lake! by Allstate Resource Management

  • Posted: Jan 23, 2024
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4 “Tricks” to a Healthier Lake!

 

Regularly test the water quality.

The first step in keeping your lake healthy is regularly testing the water quality. Ensure that your lake management company is testing the water before treatments.

Use algae control.

Algae is a common problem in Florida lakes, but there are methods you can use to control it. Partnering with a professional lake company is key! A lake maintenance company can put together a comprehensive plan designed specifically for your lake. Each lake is different and each HOA property might have specific goals and aesthetics they want to achieve.

Use aeration to promote healthy oxygen levels.

Aeration is essential for maintaining healthy oxygen levels in your lake. The water can become stagnant without adequate aeration, leading to low oxygen levels and an unhealthy lake ecosystem. Use a lake aerator to keep the water moving and to promote healthy oxygen levels.

Control invasive plant species.

Invasive plant species, such as cattails or water hyacinths, can quickly take over your lake and create an unhealthy environment for aquatic life. Let our lake specialists work with your HOA to help control and eradicate invasive plants/

Contact us today:

info@allstatemanagement.com or 954-382-9766

 

 

 

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Learn how to restore depth and prolong your lake’s lifespan with proactive solutions.

Learn how to restore depth and prolong your lake’s lifespan with proactive solutions.

  • Posted: Jan 21, 2024
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Why is My Pond Drying Up?

Why Is My Pond Drying Up?

We’ve all experienced the surprises and pain points that come with aging. Year after year, we undergo changes that impact our health and physical functions. This process is a natural and inevitable part of life that not only affects humans and animals, but also lakes and ponds. And just like people can expedite their rate of aging through unhealthy diets or lack of exercise, our water resources can age faster when exposed to excess nutrients, erosion, invasive weeds, harmful algal blooms, and pollution. As these factors compound, a waterbody will slowly fill in with muck, sediment, and debris, resulting in a loss of depth and volume. Over the course of 10-20 years, a pond can recede—or, seemingly, dry up—until it resembles nothing more than a marsh.

Once a waterbody has reached this point, dredging is one of the few solutions available to restore it to a healthier and more functional condition. Dredging is the process of physically removing hundreds or thousands of pounds of sediment and organic materials that accumulated over time.

Depending on the unique needs, budget, and characteristics of a property, professionals may recommend one of two styles of dredging:

 

mechanical-dredging

Mechanical Dredging

During mechanical dredging, a waterbody is completely drained to allow full visibility of the bottom. A long-reach excavator is used to scoop out excess materials, which are then removed from the site using semi-trucks and trailers.

hydraulic dredge - dredging - sediment removal - muck removal

Hydraulic Dredging

Hydraulic dredging does not require a waterbody to be fully drained. Instead, hydraulic dredges use a specialized tube to pump water and materials into a holding tank for filtration. The filtered water is then returned to the waterbody.

Though dredging is highly effective at resetting an aged waterbody, it is one of the largest expenses a community will ever face. Stakeholders should also be prepared to take swift and ongoing action to cultivate their new aquatic ecosystem once the project is complete. Without responsible management, they may see their water resource prematurely return to its prior condition.

 

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4 “Tricks” to a Healthier Lake! Regularly test the water quality! by Allstate Resource Management

4 “Tricks” to a Healthier Lake! Regularly test the water quality! by Allstate Resource Management

The first step in keeping your lake healthy is regularly testing the water quality. Ensure that your lake management company is testing the water before treatments.

Use algae control.
Algae is a common problem in Florida lakes, but there are methods you can use to control it. Partnering with a professional lake company is key! A lake maintenance company can put together a comprehensive plan designed specifically for your lake.
Use aeration to promote healthy oxygen levels.
Aeration is essential for maintaining healthy oxygen levels in your lake. Use a lake aerator to keep the water moving and to promote healthy oxygen levels.
Control invasive plant species.
Invasive plant species, such as cattails or water hyacinths, can quickly take over your lake and create an unhealthy environment for aquatic life. Let our lake specialists work with your HOA to help control and eradicate invasive plants.
Contact us today: info@allstatemanagement.com or 954-382-9766
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What happens when it floods? Contact us for a comprehensive inspection of your property’s Stormwater System.

What happens when it floods? Contact us for a comprehensive inspection of your property’s Stormwater System.

  • Posted: Oct 23, 2023
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What happens when it floods?

Water will flow from streets into your local storm drain and then to your lake. You will see lake levels rise during this time. Your local drainage district is hard at work in pump stations and control rooms managing water throughout South Florida. You will see this level of flooding till the main drainage system can catch up with the amount of rain that fell over the last 48 hours.
If you have not had your Stormwater System inspected within
the last year contact us for a comprehensive inspection of your property’s Stormwater System.

Contact us at:

Allstate Resource Management

954-382-9766 or info@allstatemanagement.com
Allstate Resource Management | 6900 S.W. 21st Court, Bldg. 9, Davie, FL 33404

 

A Company You Can Trust!

Family-owned and operated for 25+ years!

Centrally located in South Florida!

Contact us today to find out how we can help your community!

Direct: 954-382-9766 or info@allstatemanagement.com
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