BLACK CREEK REPORT

Public meeting on Black Creek Study held January 31, 2006

On Tuesday, January 31, members of the Hamilton Lake Association Board of Directors conducted a public meeting to discuss details of the proposed Black Creek Engineering Feasibility study. Several members of the Hamilton Lake community were present, along with members of the lake association board, DNR representative Kent Tracey, and Doug Mulvey, of the environmental engineering firm of Dynamic Environmental Solutions.

The meeting was held in the Hamilton Elementary School gymnasium and sought input from the community on the proposed study, which is intended to determine what environmental improvements can be made to Black Creek in order to diminish pollutants and sediment from being carried from this waterway into Hamilton Lake.

During the course of the meeting two things became clear. The first was that all community members present for the meeting were enthusiastically in support of the study and of making improvements to Black Creek wherever possible. The second was that a major concern of many present was the build up of sediment at the mouth of Black Creek, which has been so substantial as to close off the mouth of the Creek during the driest months of the year, thereby creating stagnant water conditions, which are a major source of mosquito infestation. West Nile Virus was mentioned as a primary concern in this context.

Doug Mulvey indicated that the feasibility study will commence this spring as soon as weather permits and that the findings of the study will be made available to the community by July, at which time the state will announce which Indian lakes will receive further grants for actual Design and Construction of improvements.

Thanks to the staff of the Hamilton Community Schools for their cooperation in making the facility available for this meeting at a time when they were responsible for a number of events in the school complex.

Bill Dillon, President