Chemical Treatment of the Lake with partial drain

        Refraining from taking action to eradicate the zebra mussels from Lake Cunningham will allow the zebra mussel population to continue to grow. The zebra mussels will continue to affect docks, boats, pipes, the natural environment, and other animals. Water may become clearer, due to the mussels removing suspended materials (MacIsaac, 1996). If water does become clearer, more light will be absorbed at the water’s surface and underwater plants may grow more than usual. The zebra mussels can also affect their predators. While more mussels will be available to predators, pesticides and chemicals can appear in large concentrations in zebra mussels and negatively affect its predators.

        The zebra mussels will be allowed to continue changing the environment, which will affect the local human populations. The locals may lose the ability to use the lake for their usual recreational activities if the zebra mussels are allowed to continue populating the lake. This is due to the zebra mussels attaching to boats. If boaters do not properly clean their boats, zebra mussels can be moved to other bodies of water. Zebra mussels can also attach to materials on the bed on of the lake, which can make an uncomfortable surface for swimmers. Due to these reasons, allowing the zebra mussels to continue to populate Lake Cunningham could negatively affect local residents that use the lake for recreation. Allowing the zebra mussels to continue to populate Lake Cunningham could cause more financial loss in the future. If money is not spent on removing the zebra mussels, maintenance costs related to the lake could become much higher if the zebra mussel population continues to grow.

 Affected Environment and Environmental Effects of Alternatives

Definition of Resource

        This is an intrinsic resource that can be defined as an area of nature or an area of combined man-made changes and natural beauty. This is an area where people can find relief from their day to day lives and get away from the hassles of the city. State management areas, geologic landforms, state/federal parks, and rivers are all examples of this.

        Outdoor recreational areas where one can go to escape their daily worries these areas bring to individuals a greater sense of serenity and peace. So much so that research suggests that those who take regular walks in the outdoors away from urban areas are not only happier, but healthier too  (Godbey 2009).

 Affected Environment

    The Glenn Cunningham Lake is located in northwest Omaha, NE. As mentioned above, the area is a recreational area with a variety of activities available such as: camping, hiking, fishing, picnicking, etc. The area is pleasing to the eye due to the rolling hills, wooded areas, lake, and the park surrounding the lake. Only the lake will be impacted by any of the alternatives, and these impacts will be temporary.

 Environmental Consequences

No-Action Alternative

        Under the no-action alternative, the aesthetics of the surrounding areas would not change. The issue, however, would come from the zebra mussels outcompeting game fish and other aquatic life for food. Eventually the gamefish population will suffer and the lake will no longer be a place that fishermen frequent. The further colonization of the lake will make it more likely to be a source of other lakes being exposed to the zebra mussels as more will likely be transported from lake to lake by boat.

Preferred Action

        There are many public trails and areas around Glenn Cunningham Lake where someone may choose to spend time relaxing. These areas would not be directly affected by the draining of the lake unless the decision is made to close the park completely. Indirectly, however, there will likely be an undesirable odor as the water level drops and fish begin to die off and decompose. These are all temporary effects and shouldn’t cause an issue once the lake is free of zebra mussels and back to a higher water level.

Partial Drain and Chemical Treatment Action

        This will not directly affect the Aesthetics of the area, but indirectly it will expose more of the shoreline which will lead to more unpleasant viewage of exposed perimeter areas. In addition, there might be additional death from chemical treatments that will affect this aspect of the park.

Chemical Treatment of Lake with Restricted Access

Definition of Resource

        Air quality pertains to the pollutant levels in a given parcel of air. Air pollutants can include particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and ozone (EPA, 2018). Air quality can be constantly changing and uncontainable to one area (Godish and Fu, 1997). Having high air quality is important because oxygen is needed for the health of humans and animals. Without high air quality, life expectancies can decline and diseases or illnesses can arise. Air pollution causes around 6.4 million deaths every year making high air quality standards a top priority (Landrigan et al, 2017). This resource can also affect how people perceive an area. Places with low air quality may have less visitors due to unpleasant conditions.

Affected Environment

Air quality affects all animals and humans that visit the lake or live within close proximity. The nearby neighborhoods could be affected by any air quality changes.

 Environmental Consequences

No-Action Alternative

This action will have no foreseeable impact on the overall air quality of the area surrounding Lake Cunningham.

Preferred Action

This action will have no foreseeable impact on the overall air quality of the area surrounding Lake Cunningham.

Partial Drain and Chemical Treatment Action

This action will have no foreseeable impact on the overall air quality of the area surrounding Lake Cunningham.

Chemical Treatment of Lake with Restricted Access

Cultural Resources 

Definition of Resource

    According to the National Park Service, “cultural resources can be defined as physical evidence or place of past human activity: site, object, landscape, structure; or a site, structure, landscape, object or natural feature of significance to a group of people traditionally associated with it” (National Park Service, 2015).

 Affected Environment

There are no known historic or cultural/religious sites in the Lake Cunningham immediate area (History Nebraska, 2018).

 Environmental Consequences

No-Action Alternative

This action will have no foreseeable impact on the overall air quality of the area surrounding Lake Cunningham.

Preferred Action

This action will have no foreseeable impact on the overall air quality of the area surrounding Lake Cunningham.

Partial Drain and Chemical Treatment Action

This action will have no foreseeable impact on the overall air quality of the area surrounding Lake Cunningham.

Chemical Treatment of Lake with restricted Access

 Geology and Soils 

Definition of Resource

Geology and soils pertains to the soils and rock layers under and around the lake and downstream areas. The soils tend to have a composition of organic matter, minerals, water, and air. This composition can be changed by many processes and animals/humans.

 Affected Environment

The soils in the lake’s bed are affected by any changes to the moisture levels within and above it. The soils downstream, where the lake could be drained, could also experience changes in moisture levels due to any changes within the lake. Animals that reside in and around soils could face problems adapting to different soil conditions. Lake bed plants could also experience changes due to exposure or excess water levels.

 Environmental Consequences

No-Action Alternative

The no-action alternative will see little changes to geology and soils. The lake bed could see more mussels populating it and affecting plant and animal life around it. Downstream soils should also experience the effects of mussels populating those areas.

Preferred Action

The preferred action will expose some soils and rocks to the open air, causing them to be affected by wind, rain, and snow. Animals that would usually not be able to access this area, would now be able to affect the soils in the lake bed. Soil dwelling insects and small animals would also experience less moisture and be susceptible to wind, rain, and snow. Regions downstream that did not have as much moisture, would now have an excess of water that will give its soils more moisture. This could be too much for some insects and small animals, cause problems for those communities.

Partial Drain and Chemical Treatment Action

This action will see a smaller shore based amount of rocks and soil being exposed to the open air, which will lead to them being affected by routine element influences including wind, rain and snow. This will only affect the perimeter areas of the lake which are the areas that will be exposed after the draining happens. In addition, the draining will lead to more water going downstream which will affect the soil areas with a new excess of water in the area.