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June 3, 2005 Record-Eagle/Sheri McWhirter Laura Hansmann lives on the western shore of Otsego Lake and worked on the watershed study grant application as president of the Otsego Lake Association. "We’ll see what’s down there," she said about the lake, which will undergo water quality and sediment tests. Group seeks grant for Otsego Lake studyLake dwellers concerned about water qualityByRecord-Eagle staff writer GAYLORD - As a child, Laura Hansmann spent her summer days at her grandparents' Otsego Lake resort and grew attached to the 1,972-acre lake with its many homes, cottages and sandy beaches. The lake has been a tourist destination and summer home retreat for decades. Despite its beauty, phosphorous levels are on the rise. Without a sanitary sewer around the lake, nutrients from septic systems seep into the water and cause increased plant and algae growth. That's why residents and the Otsego Lake Association members are trying for a second year to obtain a grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to complete a study of the 6,971-acre watershed. The group will hold a public meeting to discuss the watershed study at 2 p.m. today at the Alpine Center in Gaylord. Hansmann believes lake water is clean but sediment buildup has become a problem on the north and south ends, where timber mills once operated. "We want to learn how healthy the lake is," she said. Mike Stifler, DEQ district supervisor, said the study would cost $176,000 and would be completed by the Huron Pines Resource Conservation and Development Area Council. State dollars would cover most of the price tag, with $23,000 from local sources. The grant application is in the final review phase in Lansing, with no timeline for an answer. Last year, the DEQ funded only 18 of 72 grant applications, and this year applications number more than 100. Brad Jensen, with the nonprofit conservation group, said a resource inventory will be completed if the grant is awarded. Sediment samples would be analyzed and monitoring wells would be installed between septic fields and the edge of the lake, he said. Watershed study supporters also favor a sewer system around the lake. Bagley Township currently has a hotly debated proposal to begin with a treatment plant and system to serve about one-fifth of the lakeside residents. Some residents oppose the plan, saying it favors commercial development near Interstate 75.
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