Water Quality

The Parks and Recreation Department has identified environmentally responsible lake management to be a priority at Sparkle Lake. Great care is taken to preserve both the recreational value and ecology of the lake. The environmentally-friendly management techniques used include harvesting of weeds and algae, aeration, lowering water levels during the winter and introduction of triploid carp. These techniques assure that residents can continue to enjoy the lake for both swimming and fishing.

Sparkle Lake is a 19-acre lake with good fishing and clean water. (As with all public beaches in Westchester County, the lake is regularly tested by the Health Department throughout the swimming season.)

Weed control and oxygen balance are among the primary concerns in lake management. The Parks and Recreation Department uses several environmentally sound methods control weeds in Sparkle Lake. Lowering the water level in the fall is a simple and effective natural control since aquatic weeds have a low tolerance for dry, cold conditions.

During 1996, triploid carp were introduced into the lake. With their voracious appetite for lake weeds, these fish provide a long-term, cost-effective solution to weed control. They require minimal maintenance, cannot reproduce and present no water use restrictions.

If some stubborn weeds resist the cold and the carp, the town uses a mechanical harvester to cut and remove weeds from the lake. Mechanical removal is also effective in the event of an algae bloom. The weeds and algae are added to the town's compost site at the sewer plant.

Oxygen balance is important to maintaining a healthy fish population and in controlling algae. An aerator has been installed to pump oxygen into the water during the hot summer months when small lakes can become anaerobic.

Blue-green Algae Bloom

In late June 1998 the lake was effected by a severe blue-green algae bloom, which appears like green paint floating on the surface of the water. Although unsightly, the algae presents no serious health risk. (Some people are allergic to the algae, and can develop a rash similar to poison ivy. This allergy is rare.)

Westchester County Board of Health checks the water quality in the lake on a routine basis. The Sparkle Lake Board of Directors verified with the county that the water quality meets all health requirements for a public swimming area. In fact, Sparkle Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in the county!

Since most of the homes in the lake drainage basin are served by public sewers, and since the county testing produces no questionable results, the algae bloom is not the result of faulty septics. The most likely cause is the overuse of lawn fertilizers in the drainage basin. We would remind all of the residents of the drainage basin, which includes Hyatt Street, sections of Granite Springs Road and Curry Street and the Bridal Ridge subdivision to limit the use of fertilizers. Both organic and inorganic fertilizers pose the same risk of increasing the nutrient load in the lake.