King County update on Hicklin Lake ‘floating islands’
An update from King County on the Hicklin Lake floating-islands project – which now is described as including two “floating islands” to be installed within the next few months. The big news in this update is that the contract has been awarded:
King County is moving forward with its innovative plan supported by the local community for cleaning up Hicklin Lake by using vegetated floating islands to improve water quality.
Seattle-based Herrera Environmental, representing the international firm Biomatrix Water, will design and install two 600-square-foot floating islands early this summer in Hicklin Lake, which is located in Lakewood Park in the White Center community.
Covered with native wetland vegetation, the islands are designed so that the plants’ roots extend below the waterline. The roots and accompanying biofilm take up excess nutrients from the water column – one of the main causes of the ongoing algae blooms that bedevil the small lake’s water quality.
The project is being managed by the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, and was made possible through a combination of surface water funds and a $50,000 grant from the Washington Department of Ecology.
Hicklin Lake water quality has been a concern for years, with a history of harmful algae blooms that have posed potential health threats to people, pets and wildlife.
The plan for installing the floating islands isn’t the only step King County has taken to improve water quality in Hicklin Lake. Staff from WLRD have been tracking down and eliminating illegal and inadvertent sewer connections that discharge pollutants into the stormwater system that flows into the small lake, as well as updating and improving the stormwater infrastructure that serves the area.
The county says installation is likely to happen in July.
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May 22nd, 2013 at 11:40 am
…Glad to see this finally happen. As a sidenote, how did illegal and inadvertant sewer connections hook up to the lake?
May 22nd, 2013 at 10:26 pm
They were missed when the original sanitary sewer system was set up. Not many we were told at the meeting at TAF where the floating islands were explained thanks to the hard work of Friends of Hicklin Lake.
May 31st, 2013 at 4:20 pm
…Dick has really advocated for our beautiful park and thank you for a resident who enjoys walks through by the lake. Could you be so kind as to let me know the approxiate “walking” distance around the lake is? It seems almost 1/2 mile in circumferance?
June 1st, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Daisy; i Have never measured the walking distance around Hicklin Lake. My guess would be 1/4 to 1/2 mile. The Lake covers 4 1/2 acres if that is any help.Maybe our good Friends in KC DNR and Parks has that info. Bob Burns 263/6296