A draft plan to improve the water quality of Fernan Lake drew support from several people Tuesday. 

“It’s a good plan,” said longtime Fernan Lake Village resident Ron Douglas. “The hurdle is getting funding for it. But I think it’s a good plan, ultimately.” 

His wife, Bonnie Douglas, said she was “optimistic” improvements may not be too far down the road for the 400-acre lake just east of Coeur d’Alene. 

The price tag of $2 million to $3 million didn’t dampen her outlook. 

“They should be able to get grants,” Bonnie Douglas said. 

Ryan Van Goethem, limnologist and project lead with EutroPhix, presented the 36-page Fernan Lake Management Plan to about 25 people in the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Community Room. 

He said the plan is aimed at speeding up the recovery of the lake from harmful algae blooms by managing the phosphorous in the system.

“The biggest problem with Fernan Lake is the release of built-up nutrients that happens during the summer,” he said, adding, “That’s what's driving those harmful algae blooms.” 

Fernan Lake has experienced poor water quality for decades. It flushes well from winter to spring, but little flow occurs in the summer. That leads to an increase in nitrogen and phosphorus in the lake, which causes algae blooms comprised of toxic cyanobacteria. 

The city hired EutroPhix and AquaTechnex in 2023 to prepare a lake management plan. 

Van Goethem said there are short- and long-term possible solutions. Among them is the use of chemicals with binding agents to inhibit the release of phosphorus in the lake’s sediment. Another is preventing phosphorus from coming into the lake from the watershed and wetlands. 

Chemicals would also be used to remove lily pads on the lake’s east end that contribute to the problem. Trying to do so mechanically would be expensive and not effective, Van Goethem said.

The next steps are to go after grants, loans and donations.

Van Goethem said it’s probably going to take a year or two to obtain funding. Once chemicals are applied to the lake, improvements would likely be visible in a few weeks, he said. 

Lake monitoring would follow to determine if further steps would be needed.

Mayor Ray Watkins said they can’t wait any longer to act. 

“We’ve had 85 to 100 years of stuff coming into the lake," he said. "We can’t just flush it out. It won’t leave. We have to do something now."

He said using chemicals to eliminate the phosphorus will “reset us at Ground Zero.” 

“Then we mitigate what comes into the lake so it doesn’t get bad again,” Watkins said.

One person asked about banning the use of fertilizers near the lake. 

“Bans have been done in other places, but you can also take an educational approach,” Van Goethem said.

Another person suggested a filtering system for Fernan Creek before it reaches the lake, as it's a source of phosphorus. But Van Goethem said that’s expensive and requires construction.

“It takes a lot of filters to do that kind of thing,” he said. 

Watkins said Fernan Lake is a “huge resource for everybody around here” and was confident they would find funding. The lake is popular for boating and fishing. 

“We're going to get community support,” he said.   

Ron Douglas said the lake’s water quality was better last summer. 

“That’s just one year. We had virtually no algae blooms to speak of,” he said. “But this summer could be totally different.” 

Fernan Lake Village resident Paula Marano said when her family first lived there in 1978 the kids would swim, fish and boat in the lake without any worries. 

Now, with increases in lily pads and green algae beneath and on the surface, Marano said she isn’t so sure about the lake's quality.

“We've become more aware of the impacts to it,” she said. 

Marano also said it’s time to move forward to have a healthy lake again. 

“It’s going to be a long-term project,” she said. “A lot has to do with the money."

    A frozen Fernan Lake glistens in the sun. A draft plan to improvement the lake's water quality was presented Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library Community Room.
  

    Paula Marano listens to a presentation on a draft plan to improve the water quality of Fernan Lake on Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library Community Room.