In 2021, a state operating budget appropriation was awarded to Clark County “for the purpose of designing the process for developing a long-term plan to restore and maintain the health of Vancouver Lake… as well as designing an institutional structure to take responsibility for the plan’s implementation in a financially sustainable manner,” which resulted in the Vancouver Lake Management Plan project.
Clark County selected Herrera Environmental Consultants to build on existing work done on Vancouver Lake by developing an adaptive Vancouver Lake Management Plan (VLMP) for immediate action to manage harmful algal blooms and aquatic noxious weeds, with a structure for future development of management actions to address other lake issues.
In partnership with LimnoTech, Kearns & West, and AquaTechnex, Herrera then prepared the draft VLMP by gathering input from key stakeholders and the public, analyzing historical data, identifying goals and objectives, creating a lake water quality and hydrologic model, developing potential management scenarios, and evaluating the effectiveness of those methods for managing harmful algae blooms and noxious weeds in the lake.
After public review and review by the Clark County Council, the final VLMP is now complete and includes the following main components for the adaptive management of Vancouver Lake:
- Executive Summary
- Introduction and Background of the project, watershed, and lake ecosystem
- Project Description for the present LMP development project
- Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) Management Methods Evaluation
- Noxious Weed Management Methods Evaluation
- Additional Lake Issues identified
- Recommended Management Plan for HABs and Noxious Weeds
- Stakeholder Involvement Plan for the implementation of management solutions
- Funding Plan for the implementation of management solutions
- Roles and Responsibilities for the suggested management and funding structure
- Adaptive Management framework for ongoing management of Vancouver Lake
