Spring Lake in Holmes Beach is showing signs of improvement.
Minnows swam Oct. 10 near the surface of the lake and, though the water was brown, it no longer strongly smelled of sulfur. An aeration system was activated Sept. 17 to circulate stagnant water and infuse the lake with oxygen.
Upon activation of the system, the lake, surrounded by homes between 68th and 70th streets, became murky, smelly and more than 1,000 fish died, prompting complaints from lakeside residents and property owners.
Eran Wasserman, the city’s director of development services, said the city started running the aeration system around the clock Oct. 10, compared with six hours nightly for several weeks prior.
Wasserman said the city would test water quality at the end of the month and again in January.
However, he said the first test might be premature, as the lake requires time to recover.
“It just takes time to tell if it’s working,” Wasserman said. “We just have to wait and see.”
The lake bottom has about 3 feet of accumulated sludge and suffers the impact of a sewage spill in 2015, when about 22,000 gallons of waste from a broken Manatee County sewer line entered the lake. After the spill, the county provided the city and the health department with reports indicating the lake was healthy. Subsequent testing determined the muck on the lake bottom mostly is algae, which digests pollutants, but requires oxygen.
The city installed the aeration system to circulate oxygen and break down the sludge.
However, lakefront residents were alarmed after the system activation, when the lake condition became dire.
At an Oct. 8 commission meeting, Terry Schaefer, a candidate in the Nov. 5 commission election, said a water quality expert retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offered to consult with the city about the lake and provide an analysis at no cost. Schaefer said his friend would want access to reports on the lake.
Mayor Judy Titsworth suggested Schaefer ask his friend to contact Wasserman.
The next city commission meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.