Daily Egyptian SEPTEMBER 21, 2016
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
SINCE 1916
VOL. 100 ISSUE 98
Campus Lake drainage won’t harm local creek, SIU official says SHYANNE JASPER | @Jasper_DE
SIU is paying a local contractor $350,000 to remove roughly 46 million pounds of material from Campus Lake, a university official said. Earlier this month, contractors started draining Campus Lake into Piles Fork Creek in an effort to restore the body of water near Thompson Point to a healthier state after years of toxic algae growth. This action raised a number of questions among members of the community concerning the effects the decision would have on the creek. Because of high levels of the toxic blue-green algae called cyanobacteria, the university has closed the lake on and off for the past three years. After months of testing and planning, the decision was made to syphon water from the lake across a dam and into Piles Fork Creek, said Kevin Bame, vice chancellor of administration and finance. This allows the university to then remove build-up from decomposing plants, which help feed the cyanobacteria, from the shore. But the contaminated water draining into Piles Fork Creek — which snakes through Carbondale leading to the Big Muddy River and eventually feeds into the Mississippi River — shouldn’t harm any other water sources, Bame said. Please see LAKE | PAGE 3
Ryan Michalesko | @photosbylesko The Campus Lake shoreline near Thompson Point is shown Saturday after a six to eight foot decrease in the water level.