Contractor begins Capitol Lake survey

A small, scientific research boat will ply the waters of Capitol Lake and Percival Cove beginning March 12 to provide depth information as part of a dredge permitting analysis.

The state does not have plans to dredge Capitol Lake. The Legislature in 2012 appropriated funding to Enterprise Services to begin looking at the permits required to do a maintenance dredge. The process to design and obtain the multiple permits needed for a dredge would likely take several years.

TerraSond Limited, a surveying and mapping firm, will use sonar equipment mounted on the back of the vessel to measure the depth of Capitol Lake.

The purpose is to provide information on current lake conditions. The lake depth mapping work, called a bathymetric survey, was last done in 2004.

The boat will be on the cove and lake for about five days. The contractor will decontaminate the boat and equipment afterwards to prevent the accidental spread of New Zealand mudsnails, an invasive species found in Capitol Lake. Boating is still prohibited on the lake due to the presence of the snails.

The permitting analysis will be completed by June 2013.

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