KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Asylum Lake, which is located in Western Michigan University’s 274-acre Asylum Lake Preserve is set to get a boost in it’s water quality.
This is due in part to a recent $550,000 state grant which was included in the fiscal year 2023 budget that lawmakers passed on July 1st.
According to a news release, the project to improve the lake’s water quality will include a never-before-tried design developed to remove chlorides that are associated with salting the roads in the winter.
The $550,000 grant was allocated to the Asylum Lake Policy and Management Council, which helps mange the preserve with Western Michigan University. State Representative Julie Rogers, who represents the Kalamazoo area, was instrumental in securing the allocation, which will fund the work to lower phosphorous discharges into the lake as well as support research into remediating runoff from road salt.
“Protecting our natural resources from pollution is essential,” Rogers said. “I proudly fought to include funding to protect Asylum Lake from pollution-laden stormwater and repair some of the damage that’s already been done. The council will work with Western Michigan University to monitor outcomes, which will help provide solutions for mitigating impacts to water systems throughout Michigan.”
From the treatment device, stormwater will be directed to a collection pond and infiltration trench where it will be filtered through soils along 800 feet of Asylum Lake’s northwest shoreline before entering the lake as shallow groundwater.
Under most rainfall events, runoff will be fully treated through the system, removing almost all phosphorus and sediment from stormwater and providing the most cost-effective solutions to addressing nutrient impacts.
The state funding will cover most of the project’s overall $775,000 cost, with the management council financing the remaining balance.
