Columbia Lake Usage Survey

We recently sent out a survey to learn about how people are interacting with the lake and to find out the major concerns about the lake. The results demonstrated that most people spend 1-2 days on the lake per week. The majority of people reported that the most time spent on the lake is kayaking or canoeing, enjoying the beach, or walking and hiking along the lake. Quite a few people showed interest in volunteering at shoreline clean-ups, and there was some interest in helping with water quantity and quality monitoring. It was found that people value the clean, healthy water, the preserved East shoreline, and the quietness of the lake. Concerns about the lake include potential disturbance from motorboats, invasive species entering the lake, no enforcement of buoy and dock placement, and lack of public access to the lake.

By  Ellen Storey