Lake Maintenance

Overview

Arvada has a variety of small lakes throughout the city. The main purpose of these types of facilities is flood mitigation, water quality control and irrigation.

These unique lake environments require specialized maintenance based on the type of lake and its use. The City uses operations plans to monitor these facilities. There are also steps residents can take to help limit external factors from impacting lake quality.

Lake Arbor, Arvada, Colorado

List of City-Maintained Lakes

  • Broad Lake
  • Four Acre Lake
  • Lake Arbor
  • Lake Oberon
  • Majestic View Pond
  • Meadow Lake
  • Pomona Lake
  • Saddlebrook Lake
  • Tomlinson Pond
  • Yankee Doodle Pond

For many lakes, their primary function is as stormwater facilities to support flood and water quality control. While lakes can hold recreational and aesthetic purposes, this is frequently a secondary purpose.

When water flows across paved, or impervious, surfaces like parking lots, sidewalks and streets, the lakes function as natural treatment facilities that gather water, allowing pollutants and sediment to settle in the facility before the water is released downstream to the next user. These lakes hold a specific, highly important ecological and environmental purpose in the life cycle of water.

Lake Maintenance

What Does the City Do?

There are certain types of maintenance and upkeep that are feasible, and sustainable. Other types of maintenance may require additional resources, like funding and staffing. The City is committed to providing the same standard of sustainable maintenance to all lakes that are City-owned. These practices include:

  • Monitoring of lake quality
  • Spot treatments for algae as needed
  • Sediment mitigation to maintain water levels
  • Stormwater structures maintenance to help keep bigger debris out of the lake or from continuing on in the water system

What Can You Do?

The main pollutant of lakes comes from our built environment and human behavior. You can help by limiting contaminants entering the stormwater path.

Follow posted signage

  • Obey all posted signs at lakes, ponds and realize the risk involved when not followed.
  • No swimming and off-leash dogs are prohibited at all City owned lakes and ponds in Arvada. 

Fertilizers

  • Use fertilizers with low amounts of phosphorus or slow-release nitrogen
  • Follow the instructions on the label on how to correctly apply. 
  • Do not apply fertilizers or pesticides before it rains. 

Clean up pet waste

  • Pet waste can bring e. Coli and unnecessary nutrients that contaminate our water system.

Landscaping

  • Utilize “barrier” and drought-tolerant plants that can help retain run-off water, improve nutrient uptake and reduce the amount of contaminants going downstream to the lake. 
  • Shrubs and trees that perform well in the semi-arid state of Colorado include:
    • Western or northern catalpa
    • Gambel oak
    • Silver fountain butterfly bush
    • Arnold red honeysuckle
    • Yellow flowering or golden currant

Car washing

  • Limit the amount of water entering street gutters and storm drains. 
  • Use a bucket and water to reduce the amount of water used.
  • Consider using a local car wash facility, as they are often required to have systems to better handle runoff and, in some cases, recycle and reuse water. 

Do not dump fish tanks

  • These can produce non-native weeds that can be extremely invasive and cause algae build up along the shore.

Harmful Algae

Blue-green algae is common in Colorado. Hot weather and slow-moving water such as in lakes and ponds can create conditions where algae can grow quickly and form a bloom. Some Blue-Green algal blooms produce toxins that can be harmful to pets, humans, and other animals that come into contact with the water.

Signs of Blue-Green Algae Blooms

  • May look like thick pea soup or spilled paint on the water's surface.
  • Can create a thick mat of foam along the shoreline.
  • Usually are green or blue-green, although they can be brown, purple or white.
  • Sometimes are made up of small specks or blobs floating just at or below the water's surface.