LOGAN COUNTY — A popular summer spot faces what people in the area consider to be a serious issue, as Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner
Some are saying invasive aquatic vegetation underneath the water is taking over the lake, making it almost unusable for watercraft.
Robert Fulton has boated and fished on Indian lake for 15 years and he said he has never seen the vegetation this bad.
“I figure about August you could almost probably walk across it, it’ll be so thick,” Fulton told News Center 7′s Haley Kosik.
Harold Perry who has been fishing at the lake for 20 years described how the thick weeds can damage your boat.
“You try to pick it up and you’re sitting there and you almost fall in trying to get a couple hundred pounds of grass off your [propeller],” Perry said.
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He said the vegetation can clog a boat’s intake, possibly causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
The “Indian Lake Watershed Project” held its monthly meeting Wednesday night to talk about the problem.
The board of directors invited the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and State Representative Jon Cross.
“I think we should be looking at declaring a state of emergency for Indian Lake,” Cross said at the meeting.
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Drone footage obtained by News Center 7 shows footage from above the lake on a sunny day.
Boats look like they are traveling on a field of wheat rather than a lake.
The ODNR said clear shallow water with good sunlight makes it easier for the weeds to grow.
They said they will have extra equipment and staff on the lake to cut back the invasive vegetation this season.
The agency is also seeking additional money from the state legislature for more resources.
ODNR said they will weekly update on their website.