Group Hopes Chemical Can Save Newman Lake

An advisory group wants to treat Newman Lake with a chemical it says will help keep the Valley lake from dying.

The Newman Lake Flood Control Zone District proposes pumping as much as 50,000 gallons of aluminum sulfate mixed with water into the lake over a two-month period.

The chemical would help keep the water clear of phosphorous, which promotes algae blooms, said Warren Heylman, chairman of the district’s advisory board.

Such blooms are detrimental to fish and aquatic plants and accelerate the natural decline of all lakes.

“It’s pretty innocuous,” Heylman said. “We’re just trying to clean up Newman Lake.”

The aluminum sulfate would be stored in a trailer near the lake and pumped into the lake in small amounts each day.

The county engineer’s office doesn’t see any problem with the plan but is seeking public comment.

The engineer’s office also has scheduled a meeting to discuss the project. It is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 20 at the TriCommunity Grange on Starr Road.

The aluminum sulfate treatment is one step in a series of actions the flood control district plans to help improve the lake’s water quality, Heylman said.

In 1992, the district bought and installed an aerator that pumps oxygen into the bottom of the lake in an effort to promote aquatic health.

The district hopes to form a watershed management plan to regulate development around the lake in an effort to minimize runoff from construction sites.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CARE TO COMMENT? Anyone who wants to comment on the plan to pump aluminum sulfate into Newman Lake can write to: Brenda Sims, Newman Lake Flood Control Zone District, 1026 W. Broadway, Spokane, WA 99260-0170. The deadline is July 6.