By Seth Schmidt
On-going flood-control issues around Lake Shetek and Lake Sarah have led to the formation of a citizen advocacy group.
The non-profit Shetek Area Lakes Association was organized Saturday, with the adoption of a constitution and bylaws, and the election of a board.
“We’re real excited about what can happen, and what will happen, because of this group,” said Dan Schak, one of the newly-elected board members.
The organizational meeting was held at Shetek Lutheran Ministries, with about 30 people voting. An August 25 gathering had generated strong interest in the formation of an area lakes group.
The new lakes association is to encompass the entire Lake Shetek watershed, which includes Lake Sarah and Lake Yankton.
Flood control, and developing ways to mitigate large run-off events, will be among the group’s goals. Heavy rains this summer were one of the precipitating factors in the group’s formation.
On July 3, the Shetek watershed was inundated with 5 to 8.5” of rain. The monsoon-like rainfall was the worst of several high-water events to strike the Shetek area over the past decade. Flooded basements, impassible roads, submerged docks, overloaded sewage connections, and eroding shorelines were among the problems caused by the heavy rains,
Schak recalls a conversation with fellow Shetek resident Lars Johansson, in the wake of the July 3 flooding, who stated, “We’ve got to do something.”
For more on this article, see this week’s Headlight-Herald.