CLEARLAKE OAKS – After the Lake County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted April 6 to accept donations from the public to purchase “floating islands” near Clarks Island in Clearlake Oaks, Lake County Public Services staff received approval to utilize grant funds to purchase the first “island.”

The county of Lake, city of Clearlake and the city of Lakeport annually receive Used Oil Block Grant funds from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to establish and implement waste diversion and separation programs to prevent disposal of hazardous waste, including household hazardous waste, in solid waste landfills.

The county of Lake serves as the lead agency in administering these funds for all three jurisdictions.

When the grant application was submitted, 40 percent of the funds were allocated to pay the costs of collecting and hauling used motor, agricultural, and marine oil. However, there no longer is a charge to the County for this service.

Therefore, Public Services staff contacted CalRecycle to inquire about reallocating these grant funds towards stormwater mitigation, which was approved. The filtration of stormwater before reaching Clear Lake aids in keeping pollutants, motor oils, and nutrients out of the lake and improving water quality.

In his April 6 presentation to the Lake County Board of Supervisors, Sean Dempsey of Floating Islands West outlined how the BioHaven “matrix” material used in the construction of floating islands can be used to filter storm water inflow near Clarks Island, which drains stormwater from much of Clearlake Oaks in to Clear Lake. An island will be specially designed for this purpose.

The proposed floating islands at Clarks Island project will utilize systems that mimic nature by creating man-made wetlands. This will include a demonstration area of BioHaven floating islands, including the stormwater inflow filtration island, with the intent of improving water quality and possibly reducing algal blooms in Clear Lake while also creating wildlife habitat.

A BioHaven floating island uses cutting-edge biomimicry (the science and art of emulating natural biological systems to solve human problems) that imitates natural floating wetland systems.

According to studies by Floating Islands International, BioHaven floating islands can:

• Remove pollutants from a waterway, including nitrates, phosphates, ammonia and heavy metals.

• Provide critical riparian edge habitat (new land mass for use by all kinds of creatures, from microbes to humans).

• Mine nutrient loads from any waterway and reduce algae blooms.

• Sequester carbon and other greenhouse gases.

• Provide wave mitigation and erosion control while beautifying a waterscape with floating gardens.

If the pilot project at Clarks Island proves successful, additional economic development benefits for Clearlake Oaks and Lake County may result in increased revenue streams for local businesses and the creation of job opportunities.

The work would include dock retrofits and pier structures, local plant cultivation, floating island assembly and installation, and solar panel and pump installations. Dempsey also reported that visitation and tourism to areas where floating islands have been installed has increased.

In 2007, the Lake County Redevelopment Agency purchased Clarks Island, the site of an older mobile home park, in downtown Clearlake Oaks after a community survey indicated developing the island as open space was a top priority for the community.

Since that time, the Redevelopment Agency has relocated the residents, removed the mobile homes and debris, and requested that the island be rezoned to open space with the intention of creating a low-impact park that is accessible to all.

The Board of Supervisors passed resolutions on February 2 and April 20 to pursue grant funding for the creation of a public park at Clarks Island, including the installation of floating islands in the waters surrounding it.

Additional grant funding is being sought by the Public Services Department, Floating Islands West, and several local agencies to monitor and record the impact of the floating islands on mitigating storm water inflow.

This will help determine if additional funding may be secured for all stormwater inflows on public lands to Clear Lake, including within the jurisdictions of the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport.

To kick start the fundraising efforts for Clarks Island, one local Lake County business is offering a challenge to the public. Donations to the pilot project through May 30 will be matched with a percentage of businesses sales revenue, up to $3,000. If enough money is raised, the project may be able to begin this summer.

For more information on donating funds to support the Clarks Island Sustainability Initiative, visit www.konoctitrails.com/clark-island.

For more information on floating islands, visit www.floatingislandswest.com or www.floatingislandinternational.com.

For more information about the project, contact Terre Logsdon with the Lake County Public Services

Department at 707-263-1760.

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