Group has a vision for Atascadero Lake's future

When the Friends of Atascadero Lake think about their ideal community attraction, they picture a well-kept lake brimming with water and native wildlife, ducks basking in the sun and people from all around enjoying the pleasantries of the waterfront.

What’s out there today — a nearly dried-up pile of muck that’s yet another casualty of the drought — is not part of their vision.

“We want to accomplish a sustainable Atascadero Lake that would allow the fish to live, for the birds to return,” group secretary Nancy Hair said. “And, to change the mindsets of the people of Atascadero who think it’s acceptable that this lake thrives and dies. It doesn’t have to be that way. It could thrive all year around.”

Atascadero Lake has been suffering for months, starting last year when thousands of fish died from oxygen deprivation as the water evaporated. Now, the fish are all dead and gone, the ducks and geese have been relocated, and the Friends of Atascadero Lake officially formed into a nonprofit organization to see what the collective force of everyday people can do to help.

Overall, the Friends group and its nine-member board of directors seek to improve and enhance the lake while focusing on water quality and aesthetics, according to its mission statement.

But its members are also quick to say they can only propose projects because the city owns the 30-acre lake, and various governmental agencies are tasked with protecting its watershed.

“We have general goals, but we’re at the mercy of government agencies and Mother Nature,” said Paul Murphy, the group’s vice president.

In no particular order, here’s a look at the projects its members would like to pursue in the next several years through volunteers, donations, grants and, possibly, city money when available:

• Drill a well and pipe supplemental water into the lake.
• Relocate the domestic ducks and geese (completed earlier this month).
• Organize volunteer cleanups to clear overgrown vegetation around the lake, starting Oct. 4.
• Seek grants to improve the water quality by building plant wetlands on the south end of the lake for natural filtration.
• Build retaining walls for erosion control.
• Clear blockages from the city’s existing Atascadero Creek pipeline into the lake (occurring now).
• Post signs asking the public not to dump animals at the lake or feed the birds.
• Build an informational kiosk to post information on how to donate, volunteer and learn more about their organization.

“We’re excited about finding ways to improve filtration and prevent erosion. And, cleaning up around the perimeter,” group board member Jon Trumbull said.

The city, meanwhile, has opted to take advantage of the situation by dredging the lake bed. It’s seeking state permits to scrape and haul away the piles of bird feces and dead plant life that have built up over the years. The intention is to make the lake cleaner and deeper for the long term. The Friends group also supports the dredging, which occurred once last fall and will likely pick back up for a second round before the year’s end.

City officials say it’s helpful to have the public’s support.

“It’s really good that these folks are bringing ideas forward,” said David Athey of the city's Public Works Department. “We don’t have any concrete proposals from (the Friends group), and the City Council would ultimately be in charge of approving funding with any project, but we’re certainly open to talking with them.”

The Friends group got attention this summer when its plans for piping well water into the lake emerged. Since then, the concept has taken the sharper focus in that the group wants to pipe in well water after rain refills the lake to help keep the levels stable during the summer.

“The well is not intended to fill up the lake from empty,” Hair said. “We’re looking to supplement it to offset winter rains.”

The pipeline still needs government approvals and an undisclosed amount of funding, but the Friends plan to drill the well — to a maximum of 300 feet — in the next 60 days to see how many gallons it can produce.

“We’re hoping for at least 50 gallons per minute,” Murphy said. “And, if it’s smaller than that, we’ll have to (reassess).”

The well would draw water from the cracks between rocks beneath a private residence on the 8300 block of Portola Road and wouldn’t suck water from the North County’s shrinking groundwater basin. The group’s plans then call for pumping the water through a roughly 1,000-foot-long pipeline they would install and connect to the north end of the lake.

At capacity, the lake can hold up to 68 million gallons of water over 30 acres. When it’s full, its deepest point is 13 feet. The Friends group hopes to keep the lake levels at a minimum of 8½ feet with the supplemental system to help keep new fish alive and the water quality good so the lake doesn’t see the drastic evaporation it’s currently experiencing.

“We have no intentions to use the water for decoration or aesthetics during a time where people’s water is so low,” Trumbull said.

This story was originally published August 28, 2014 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Group has a vision for Atascadero Lake's future."