Reston Association is breaking out the herbicide this summer in response to a proliferation of hydrilla at Lake Thoreau.
The invasive aquatic plant resurfaced last year after a couple of quiet summers. Though RA replenished the lake’s population of grass carp this spring, the fish don’t appear to be keeping the hydrilla in check as effectively as hoped.
The water in Lake Thoreau is finally high enough to allow crews to begin clearing sediment.
Delayed from last fall due to insufficient water levels, Reston Association now anticipates beginning the approximately four-week process of dredging Lake Thoreau’s Westcove next week.
Reston Association had hoped to dredge sediment from Lake Thoreau this fall, but paltry precipitation may force the project to wait until next spring.
While staff still hope to schedule the dredging for sometime this winter, the rain and snow that passed through the D.C. region last week weren’t enough to sufficiently raise water levels at the manmade lake, according to RA communications director Cara O’Donnell.
Like a monster in a horror movie franchise, the hydrilla that long plagued Lake Thoreau before lying low over the past couple of years has now returned.
Though past management efforts have seen some success, the invasive aquatic plant, whose full scientific name is Hydrilla verticillata, has resurfaced in “significant quantities” throughout the lake this summer, Reston Association announced on Monday (July 28).
Reston Association is turning to the community for input on plans to update a couple of its recreational facilities.
The homeowners’ association will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) to gather feedback on the Lake Thoreau observation dock, which is being considered for possible renovations.
Reston Association is lowering the water levels of its lakes, starting today (Monday).
Dam repair and inspection firm Bander Smith will perform annual spillway inspections at Newport, Thoreau and Audubon lakes, requiring them to be drained by up to 8 inches. Lake Anne will be drained by 2 feet to also allow for minor concrete repairs to its riser tower.
It’s no secret that the renovations of Lake Thoreau and Shadowood swimming pools were delayed by several months.
Now, with both facilities set to open this pool season, Reston Association says it could have done a better job with communication and investigating existing conditions before commencing with the projects.
Next year, the Lake Thoreau spillway will feature a nature-inspired public artwork created by South Lakes High School’s STEAM team.
The 10-foot tall installation was designed to embrace Reston’s natural environment with a “modern twist,” according to Public Art Reston. Viewers will see a forest from one perspective and a single tree from the other. Students plan to illuminate flowers fastened to the tree’s branches.
The renovation of Reston’s Lake Thoreau pool has officially been completed in time for the 2024 pool season.
Construction on the project at 2040 Upper Lake Drive began in the summer of 2022 after a nearly seven-month-long permit approval process.
With a new month on the horizon, algae blooms at three lakes in Reston appear to be turning a leaf.
Warnings to avoid making contact with Lake Anne and Lake Audubon have been lifted after an algae bloom took over some parts of the lakes since mid-November.
