News & Events

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="044785a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Houghton Lake Improvement Board</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >|   </FONT> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Houghton Lake Improvement Board"> </A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Houghton Lake Improvement Board"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> News & Events</div> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="045d2b03.jpg"> <div> News & Events</div> <div> <A HREF="invitation.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="invitation">invitation</A> to presentation</div> <div> <A HREF="2007_board_meeting_schedule.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2008 Board Meeting Schedule">2008 Board Meeting Schedule</A></div> <div> <A HREF="new_hlib_member.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New HLIB Member">New HLIB Member</A></div> <div> <A HREF="lake_foam.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lake Foam">Lake Foam</A></div> <div> <A HREF="one_great_lake.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="One Great Lake">"One Great Lake"</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>News & Events</I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>NEWS RELEASE</B></div> <bR> <div> TO: ALL HOUGHTON LAKE RESIDENTS</div> <div> APPROXIMATELY 800 OF THE 20,000 ACRES INTHE MAIN BODY OF HOUGHTON LAKE WILL BE TREATED ON WEDNESDAY JUNE 25<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >TH</FONT> WITH 2-4-D. THERE IS A ONE DAY RESTRICTION ON SWIMMING AND NO RESTRICTIONS ON FISHING ON THAT DAY. THIS TREATMENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN AREAS MORE THAN 300 FEET OFF SHORE.</div> <div> SOME SPECIFIC AREAS IN SHORE WILL ALSO BE TREATED WITH TRICIOPYR. THOSE AREAS ARE OR WILL BE POSTED WITH A YELLOW NOTICE SIGN. THOSE AREAS HAVE A ONE DAY WATERING AND SWIMMING RESTRICTION. </div> <div> FOR THESE SELECTED IN SHORE AREAS, USE OF LAKE WATER TURF IRRIGATION IS LIFTED AFTER ONE DAY. HOWEVER, WATERING ORNAMENTALS SHOULD BE RESTRICTED UNTIL THE AREAS ARE TESTED OR 10/24, WHICH EVER COMES FIRST.</div> <div> THE HLIB WILL BE TESTING IN ONE WEEK TO DETERMINE STATUS OF THE LAKE WATER . </div> <div> STAY TUNED FOR MORE LAKE ADVISORIES !</div> <div> Houghton<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > Lake Improvement Board</FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>__________________________</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> The four townships surrounding CityplaceHoughton Lake, StateMichigan's largest  inland lake, have enacted an ordinance to protect the lake from the harmful effects of excessive phosphorus  contained in lawn fertilizers.</div> <bR> <div> The PlaceTypeCounty of PlaceNameRoscommon has now joined the PlaceNameplaceHoughton PlaceTypeLake community in banning the use of phosphorus laden lawn fertilizers.</div> <bR> <div> Phosphorus is the nutrient that most often stimulates excessive growth of aquatic plants, leading to a variety of problems known collectively as eutrophication. Elevated phosphorus levels are causing premature aging of many StateplaceMichigan lakes. Once in a lake, a single pound of phosphorus can generate hundreds of pounds of aquatic vegetation.</div> <bR> <div> There is little that individual communities can do to control the phosphorus in atmospheric deposition. However, much of the phosphorus in urban runoff is <U>lawn fertilizers</U>. Often on established lawns, there is sufficient phosphorus available in the soils to support healthy lawn cover. In these situations, excess phosphorus in fertilizers can be washed into area lakes and streams. </div> <bR> <div> The action of the Roscommon County Board extends to the counties other two major lakes, Higgins and St. Helen and the counties other bodies of water the protection such a ban will bring to PlaceNameplaceHoughton PlaceTypeLake.</div> <bR> <div> The Houghton Lake Improvement Board's support of the ban will continue with an educational program to raise the awareness of local residents to the harm that can be caused by lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus.  </div> <bR> <div> Exemptions to the ban include agricultural uses, vegetable and flower gardens, and trees or shrubs. It also allows using phosphorus on new lawns, and turfs where authorized soil tests confirm phosphorus levels are too low.</div> <bR> <div> The county's and township's new ordinances takes effect Jan. 1, 2009.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>