MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - In June, Pam Tyning, Senior Water Resources Specialist and Lake Consultant, visited Lake Lansing to assess the plant growth.

After the yearly assessment it was decided that mechanical harvesting would be the best solution to keep the lake healthy.

Mechanical harvesting is the use of agricultural machinery to remove any aquatic weeds and algae that have become invasive. This overgrowth may harm native species and become a pest to those enjoying Lake Lansing.

The harvesting could take several weeks to complete, ridding the lake of any exotic plant growth that may become a nuisance to local residents.

Removing any invasive plants, the harvesting benefits residents both recreationally and economically. And although it can be time consuming, mechanical harvesting does have its advantages over herbicides.

"It achieves two purposes by cutting and removing the aquatic growth, we eliminate biomass feed for the next year's growth. And then also we make the lake accessible so that boats, and sailboats and motorboats etc. can use the lake," said Curt Armbruster, Chairman of the Lake Lansing Advisory Committee.

By removing masses of invasive plants so they don't grow back, the harvesting acts as a natural fertilizer to maintain the lake. It also treats runoff that has discharged into the lake allowing the shore to be more accessible to boaters and swimmers.

Although the harvesting is part of the process to keep the lake up to par, it's funded by the Special Assessment District that breaks down taxpayers money into two tiers. Despite the high costs of harvesting, it usually only needs to be performed once a year according to Armbruster.

"The Township contributes towards it and Ingham County Parks, or Ingham County in general, and also the MSU sailing club pays towards it as well," said Younes Ishraidi, Chief Engineer of Meridian Township.

And thanks to the efforts to keep the lake healthy, it remains a popular gathering place in the community, not just for those who live on the lake, but for local residents as well.