Higgins Lake
by Teri D., Higgins Lake Lover

Higgins Lake has historically been a haven for people seeking to flee the heat of the city. "Back in 1875 several families from Saginaw came to Higgins Lake for a brief vacation..."(Rosenau, Introduction). Those "several families" were only the beginning. Today it is estimated that over one million people visit the lake each year and there are "no other lakes in the area that compares to the quality and intensity of use of Higgins Lake" (LTI 10). If you could know the lake as I know Higgins Lake, it would be easy to understand why so many people are attracted to it every summer.

At the age of eight, I would swim in Higgins Lake from nine in the morning until nine at night. There was always something to find in the water, for instance, a mud puppy or a craw fish. Even if I stood still, the minnows would come up and nibble on my feet and make me giggle. My fingers and toes would resemble raisins and prunes, my hair was bleached by the sun and tangled by the water. My mom could not get a comb or brush through it and finally gave up and cut it off. The only time I spent out of the water was the obligatory one hour after a meal that my mother strictly enforced. Then I would build towering sand castles with fancy dippity do turrets and deep moats or perhaps bury my dad or myself in the warm sand. My bedroom overlooked the lake and the window was open all summer. I fell asleep each night with sand in my sheets and the sound of the waves in my ears. Summers on Higgins Lake were the best times of my life.

I moved away from the area when I was eighteen and was shocked to notice the amount of erosion ("Dad, where did our beach go?"), seaweed, and algae along the shore when I returned twelve years later. There was also the presence of loons and ducks where before there were only seagulls. I have not seen a mud puppy for several years. My concern in regard to the detrimental changes I have observed in the beauty of Higgins Lake prompted my investigation into the causes and the solutions being sought.

I was relieved to discover that the lake is still in excellent shape in regard to the water quality. "Higgins Lake is classified as a oligotrophic, or high quality lake"(LTI 32). Water samples taken and tested in 1991 for Chlorophyll, Total Phosphorus, and Secchi Depth fall within the guidelines set by the EPA and the National Eutrophication Survey (see table) published in Limno-Tech, Inc's (LTI) feasibility study. Chlorophyll levels are used to determine algae growth. By lowering a black and white Secchi disk into the water, experts are able to measure the visibility of the water and indirectly, the amount of algae. "The greater the Secchi depth, the lower the amount of algae" (LTI 32). According to LTI, the company who performed the diagnostic and feasibility studies on Higgins Lake in 1991, the Secchi depth tests performed yearly since 1974 by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have actually shown the Secchi depth has "slowly increased" and "may indicate decreasing algal growth in the water column of the lake" since 1974 (32).

However, there have been increases in the incidences of Cladophora, an attached filamentous green algae found along the shoreline (LTI 29). The increased growth in algae and seaweed is caused by increased nutrient loading and sediment into the lake. "When sediment enters the lake it settles and decomposes on the bottom and acts as fertilizer for aquatic plants. The seaweed dies off at the end of the season and provides even more nutrients for an even larger growth of aquatic growth the following year.

The primary nutrient of concern is phosphorus. "Storm runoff from road ends may contribute over half of the total phosphorus loadings from urban areas (LTI 11). Fortunately, these phosphorus loadings are also the easiest to control by means of watershed management practices (LTI 11). "Total Phosphorus loadings can be reduced by controlling suspended solids runoff"(LTI 15). The amount of sediment entering the lake can be reduced by establishing a greenbelt along the shoreline in areas where the natural greenbelts have been reduced by erosion, such as the road ends, and in areas where the greenbelts have been removed by construction or replaced by grass. A grass lawn along the shore is not sufficient to decrease sediment loadings, however, if left at least 2-2 1/2 inches long and mulched, it will be somewhat productive in decreasing the amount of water flowing into the lake.

The Higgins Lake Property Owner's Association, Higgins Lake Foundation, and the U.S. Soil & Water Conservation District have implemented the "Adopt A Road End" project to improve the condition of the road ends "by slowing down the sediment and nutrient flow into the lake" (Water Lines 1). John Kraft of the MDNR, Surface Water Quality Division, indicated that the response has been good for this program. However, there are limited funds available for improvements and this does discourage some individuals and organizations (Kraft). Adopting a road end requires that the adopting party or parties improve the road end and procure the necessary permits for the improvements. The extensive inventory made of the road ends supplies the suggestions for 80 road end sites on the lake. Virtually every road end requires planting a vegetated filter strip of bushes, grass, or trees, in order to trap sediments and prevent runoff into the lake. Another common suggestion was to form rock shoots, "a constructed waterway, lined with rock, used to conduct surface water in a nonerosive manner." There are also some road ends that will require more work, such as installing a "rock rip rap," which is where "rock, cobbles, or boulders [are] placed on the shore of the lake for protection against wave action."(RCRCDC 87).

Phosphorus is also introduced into the lake in various amounts in other ways. Septic systems and decaying plants contribute to the lake's phosphorus levels. When it rains, "soil, fertilizers, weed killers and other debris" wash into the lake, which reinforces the importance of the road end restorations. Additional contributions, albeit smaller amounts, are duck excrement, and ashes which contain phosphorus (A Maintenance Manual).

The vast majority of phosphorus that enters the lake remains within the lake, settling to the bottom to be incorporated into the sediments. Only an estimated 8% of the inflow phosphorus leaves the watershed through the Cut River. The settling results in an increased oxygen demand by the sediments due to degradation of the organics. In turn, near sediment dissolved oxygen depletion may eventually result in stimulating significant phosphorus releases from the lake's sediments (LTI 39-40).

In short, the phosphorus that enters the lake, begets more phosphorus and as a result the amount of dissolved oxygen available in the water is depleted.

The oxygen depletion in the water can also effect the trout, an important game fish, in Higgins Lake. Trout congregate in the deep water during the summer since they prefer the colder water. However, they are dependent on oxygen. If they do not have the oxygen they require in the deep water, they may be forced into the layers of warmer water closer to the surface. Admittedly, trout are currently found in the surface water during the spring and early summer, since the surface of the lake has not yet been warmed by the sun, summer rains, and warm nights. Unfortunately, repeated warnings to boaters to decrease boat speeds in the spring go unheeded. Because the trout are close to the surface, they fall victim to boat propellers. Trout are not native to Higgins Lake and do not reproduce in the lake. The lake must be stocked periodically to maintain the population for sport fishing. If the phosphorus levels increase in the lake it may not be feasible to continue to plant trout in the lake at all and one of the lake's many tourist attractions will disappear.

Another problem that may effect tourism on Higgins Lake is an increase in the number of ducks on the lake that have been reported by area residents. The reason is assumed to be due to the increase in vegetation and perpetuated by people feeding them. The increase in vegetation provides "increased forage fish abundance, leading to an increase in the numbers of fish-eating ducks that are suspected to be the hosts for the swimmer's itch parasite"(LTI 43). Swimmer's itch has been a problem on Higgins Lake in recent years. The parasite, which is a flatworm, causing swimmer's itch, requires ducks and snails to complete its life cycle. In shallow areas, where the majority of swimmers congregate, the parasite will inadvertently penetrate a person's skin. As reported in the Higgins Lake Foundation's Maintenance Manual, the area will initially feel "prickly" and have an "itchy sensation" but after twenty-four hours the itching becomes intense. It also recommends that a person dry off thoroughly and completely immediately after wading or swimming to reduce the time the parasite has to burrow into the skin. If someone does develop swimmer's itch, it is important to report it to the township supervisor's office in order to monitor the areas in which the problem is occurring (Swimmer's Itch). Area organizations are working on a management program to reduce the incidences of swimmer's itch and one recommendation is clear and across the board, do not feed the ducks! With the proper funding, volunteers will be trained this spring to form "harassment patrols to capture, inoculate and remove common merganser broods" from Higgins Lake.

Thankfully, there are many organizations involved in preserving the high quality of Higgins Lake. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Surface Water Quality Division has conducted stormwater and meltwater samplings (Kraft, Staff Report) and proposed recommendations for alternatives to the direct drainage into the lake (RCRCDC). The Higgins Lake Foundation's Board of Trustees has implemented an endowment fund with a goal of three million dollars. They accept gifts of cash, stock, and real estate. They plan to use the interest earned from the fund to educate the public and monitor the lake. Most of the reports and educational material cited in this paper were affiliated in some way with the Higgins Lake Foundation. They also work with The Higgins Lake Property Owner's Association. HLPOA organized volunteer boat patrols and "scare patrols" to attempt to prevent merganser ducks from nesting on the shores of Higgins Lake. As a result the number of reported swimmer's itch cases was reduced (Waterlines 7). "Through the joint efforts of Gerrish Township the Higgins Lake Foundation, and the Higgins Lake Property Owner's Association, a long term lake monitoring project will begin in Spring, 1995. Higgins Lake will be the first lake in the state of Michigan to be working with the United States Geological Service (U.S.G.S.) in this type of program" (Waterlines 3). When I discussed this project on the phone with Ned Wicks, Executive Secretary of the Higgins Lake Property Owner's Association, he was very excited about the project. The results will become part of "statistically sound national database (Waterlines 3).

I am still concerned with the change in the condition of the water quality and shoreline erosion of Higgins Lake. My research has reduced my fear to concern. Fortunately, there are many people and organizations that share my concern. For the most part, they are all working together to find answers, gather information, monitor lake quality, inform the public, and seek funding and volunteers to accomplish their goal of improving the quality of the lake for everyone. The Adopt a Road End Project is important for reducing the amount of erosion, sediment, and phosphorus runoff into the lake. The USGS will begin monitoring Higgins Lake this spring and provide consistent, long term data to be used for yearly comparisons to determine increases and decreases in water quality. All of the sources and studies indicate that Higgins Lake is still a high quality lake. The one million visitors a year will also attest to the lake's beauty. I hope that, with careful management and public education, that Higgins Lake provides fond memories for all who escape the heat to experience it's beauty for many centuries to come.

WORKS CITED

Higgins Lake Foundation. Higgins Lake: A Maintenance Manual. Torkelson and Associates. 1991.

Kraft, John T. Personal interview. 29 Mar. 1995.

Kraft, John T. Stormwater and Meltwater Sampling at Higgins Lake. Staff Report, Michigan DNR, Surface Water Quality Division. 1990.

Limno-Tech, Inc. Higgins Lake Diagnostic and Feasibility Study, Final Report. Ann Arbor: Limno-Tech, Inc., 1992.

Roscommon County Resource Conservation and Development Committee. Higgins Lake Storm Water, Sedimentation and Road End Erosion Inventory. 1993.

Rosenau, Arthur W. Lakeside: A History of Lakeside Association on Higgins Lake in Roscommon County, Michigan. Lakeside Association, 1979.

Water Lines (Higgins Lake Property Owner's Association, Winter 1995) 1.

Wicks, Ned. Personal telephone interview. 20 February 1995.