Lake & Pond Maintenance / Lake Management Plans

Data-Backed Management Serving the Health and Goals of Your Lake Community

As part of our commitment to Give Water Life, Clarke focuses on restoring waterbodies to their optimal states while enhancing their natural beauty and surrounding environments via data-backed, prescriptive strategies.

Our team has partnered with a medley of communities to work towards achieving their water goals – whether that be a park district, homeowner’s association, special assessment district or lake improvement board.

Assessment, Implementation, Monitoring

Our process starts with an assessment and historical record analysis, followed by strategy formulation and implementation, then rounds out with ongoing monitoring and adjustments as needed.

This ensures that all treatments and tactics are based on the actual, comprehensive needs of the lake rather than consisting of formulaic, across-the-board applications.

Assessment: Using Data to Create a Comprehensive, Fitted Management Program

Clarke starts by conducting surveys, water quality tests and analyses of past waterbody records to create a knowledge base for each lake. These evaluations include but are not limited to:

Aquatic Plant Mapping and Identification
Sediment and Shoreline Erosion Surveying
Water Quality Tests such as Secchi Disk Test and Depth, Phosphorous, Nitrogen and Chlorophyll-a Sampling

Implementation: Prescriptive Strategies to Restore and Preserve Lakes

Once a baseline of information has been established, Clarke’s experts devise an ongoing strategy to help restore and preserve the health and aesthetic of the lake – paired in tandem with the community’s budget, needs and goals.

The services recommended and administered by Clarke’s team depending on these goals and findings may include:

Surveying of native and invasive aquatic plant species and aquatic vegetation management
Bathymetry/contour mapping as well as sediment studies and planning
Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) monitoring and mitigation
Electroshocking surveys and fish restocking
Inlet and outlet monitoring
Water quality testing
Watershed studies
Lake restoration

In addition to the above, Clarke offers natural methods of restoring natural balance to waterbodies, such as fountain and aeration systems, littoral plantings and nutrient remediation strategies.

Monitoring: Maintaining Lake Quality Over Time

Throughout and beyond this process, Clarke’s in-field team performs tests and evaluations to ensure that treatments are working as planned and that program modifications are made as needed.

Our on-staff Certified Lake Manager will also assess findings and compile short and long-term recommendations in a year-end report which can be reviewed with lake stakeholders on request.

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All-Inclusive, Hands-Off Management for Your Lake, Ponds and Other Waterbodies

Left unchecked, weeds, invasive plants and algae can build up – impacting the health and use of your lake. Adding to this are changing factors in temperatures, rainfall, runoff, nutrient loads and depths, making ongoing management challenging.

Does your current lake management program address these needs for your lake?

Get started on a custom, comprehensive lake management program with your local Clarke Aquatic Services consultant.

Start on a New Path for Your Lake