lake silt cleaner?

Question

we have a lake that is privite and a camp ground on it and we are getting over ran by lillypads and silt i was woundering if there was something i could do to clean this up with inviting DNR so we can take back over with the lake

Answer 1

I have one, too.
I don't agree at all with the answers above.

The silt must be dredged out and placed away from the place where the reain drains.
Clay is at the bottom of ours and works well.
We have them pack the clay around the edges as well.
This process has lasted for about 25 years and it is about time to do it again but we could stretch it another 10 years if necessary.
Dig deep when you do it.

Answer 2

Unfortunately for you, the natural progression of a lake's life is relatively short. That's why you very rarely find old lakes, unless they were huge (and very deep) to begin with. They all fill in eventually. However, there are some things you can do to slow down the progression. Try to outline the watershed of your lake. Know where the water flows into the lake when it rains. If there is a dirt road, parking lot, or other compacted or impervious surface anywhere within the watershed, take a look at how the water runs off of it during a rainstorm. Also, look for gullies where stormwater is washing soil into the lake. Silt fencing is a common material in the construction industry, its a heavy fabric you can set up across these gullies to prevent any more soil from washing into your pond. Your local Soil and Water Conservation agency (usually a state agency) should have resources and workshops on preventing stormwater damage.

Water lillies can grow only in shallow water. If you keep the water level high enough in the lake, it should prevent their growth. Otherwise, there really isn't any way to get rid of them; I've seen people try trimming and chemicals, but they always come back. You can try dredging the bottom of the lake to make it deeper, but if you don't fix the source of your silt problem (the stormwater erosion of soils), it will just fill back up again. Good luck!