Marysville council approves plan for Ellis Lake solutions

However, because those solutions were not permanent and city leaders now have grandiose ideas for a revitalization of Ellis Lake, a proper fix is being considered once again: moving water from the Yuba River into the lake.

In 2019, Yuba Water Agency Director Charlie Mathews and former Marysville Councilman Dale Whitmore proposed a plan to the city council to divert water from the Yuba River into Ellis Lake.

According to Appeal archives, an electrical box and pump that used to do that had been out of commission for years, and the two men said they would donate $11,500 to the city to refurbish the equipment to see how its use would impact water quality.

“Right now, we are pumping groundwater into the lake, which has a fair amount of nitrogen and phosphorus, which is feeding the algae,” Whitmore said at the Aug. 13, 2019, meeting. “Yuba River water is very low in those nutrients, so we believe that we would reduce the amount of algae in the lake during the summer months by diverting water from the river.”

Whitmore said at the time that despite their offer, the city declined to give them the go-ahead, opting to continue with their plans of conducting a pilot aeration study to see how that could reduce the algae that had built up, similar to how the lake is now.

“We are very frustrated that it has taken this long to make a decision. We need to keep different options open. We are willing to jump in and do something about the river pump because that’s the way the lake was kept fresh for many decades,” Whitmore said. “We need to do something here to fix the problem.”

Marti Brown, who was the Marysville city manager in 2019, wrote in a letter to council members that outside legal counsel brought up a number of potential issues with the proposed pump project, the Appeal previously reported. She said it would require oversight and/or permits from multiple jurisdictions and could jeopardize the city’s good standing with the State Water Board and result in further fines and penalties.

Officials from Yuba Water Agency also at the time advised the city that the equipment used to pump water into Ellis Lake from the river is an unauthorized diversion point that would need the proper regulatory permits before it would be legal to divert again.

Moving forward to present day, the current Marysville City Council and City Manager Jim Schaad want to revisit the idea of pumping water from the Yuba River into the lake. To achieve that goal, the city council approved Tuesday a consulting agreement with IGServices to develop an Ellis Lake water quality implementation plan.

“The city desires to improve amenities at Ellis Lake in order to develop a regional recreation and tourism venue, provide residents with high quality outdoor recreation activities, and promote development/redevelopment in the area,” the city said in a staff report. “Staff recommends development of a water quality implementation plan to determine the cost and feasibility of alternatives to circulate clean, phosphate-free water into the lake.”

The agreement is for an amount not to exceed $35,000. Previously, Yuba Water provided $142,300 in funding for the application of the phosphorous sequestration agent and the removal of non-native carp from Ellis Lake. The city completed that treatment at a cost of $112,343.95, leaving $29,956.05 left to be spent.

According to the city, Yuba Water has approved the use of the remaining balance for the water quality implementation plan. In addition, a motion to “appropriate an additional $150,000 for activities related to this effort was approved in the city’s FY2023/2024 budget proceedings,” a staff report said.

The city said the analysis that will be done will “look at alternatives for providing water to the lake with minimal phosphate levels and adequate circulation of water to control nutrient levels and minimize harmful algae blooms.” Some of those alternatives include the following:

– Pump water from existing well and treat with EutroSORB or similar product to remove phosphates prior to releasing to the lake. Pump only enough water to replace that lost through evaporation. 

– Pump water from existing well and treat with EutroSORB or similar product to remove phosphates prior to releasing to the lake. Pump enough water actively circulate water through the lake from south end to north end. 

– Pump low phosphate water from Yuba River. Pump only enough water to replace that lost through evaporation. This alternative would look at sub-alternatives of using existing storm drain pipe or a new dedicated line. It would also look at a sub-alternative to move the pump/fish screen further downstream on the Yuba River. 

– Pump low phosphate water from Yuba River. Pump only enough water to replace that lost through evaporation. Pump enough water actively circulate water through the lake from south end to north end at a determined turnover rate (based on best practices). This alternative would look at sub-alternatives of using existing storm drain pipe or a new dedicated line. It would also look at a sub-alternative to move the pump/fish screen further downstream on the Yuba River. 

– A combination or hybrid approach where both river water and well water is used.

Marysville Mayor Chris Branscum signaled during Tuesday’s meeting that pumping water from the Yuba River would be the only way to permanently solve the lake’s water quality issues.

“The consensus among some, and I include myself in that, that flowing water from the Yuba River through Ellis Lake and then back out through Jack Slough to the Feather River and having circulation is the only real long-term solution to have high-quality water for that lake,” Branscum said.

The mayor called Ellis Lake a “treasure for the community” and that should the city move forward with a plan to pump in water, it would be “no small feat.” Branscum was confident, however, that “regulatory matters” and everything else a pumping solution would entail could be accomplished with the financial and technical assistance of other government bodies such as Yuba Water.

“We have one great opportunity to put together a plan to present to the water agency. … It’s not a sure thing, but the odds look very good,” Branscum said.