Lake Committee Review

By Greg Mona SRCA Lake Committee Chair

The Scottsdale Ranch Lake Committee’s role and responsibility is to examine the overall operational costs and environmental quality of the lake and its water use in relation to the Department of Water Resources associated with maintaining Lake Serena. That’s the “official” description of what the committee does, but it is much more than that.

Lake Serena is considered the “crown jewel” of Scottsdale Ranch, and for good reason. For starters, it is available to all Scottsdale Ranch residents and their guests to enjoy, and not just those that reside by its shores. Besides being visually appealing, it provides opportunities for boating, kayaking, fishing, walking along portions of its shoreline, and other social gatherings and activities.

The main responsibility of the SRCA Lake Committee is to be a good and consistent steward of the lake to ensure its health and aesthetic value. We are responsible for decision-making when it comes to the management, maintenance, and improvements to the lake that serve our residents in the most favorable way. The committee takes these responsibilities very seriously, and no decisions are made without thoughtful dialog, and the appropriate thorough research when a particular issue calls for that.

Lake Serena is an integral part of the Maricopa County Flood Control District’s stormwater management system. The lake receives a vast amount of stormwater surface runoff from several square miles to the north and east, which introduces trash, dirt, silt, and other inorganic materials into the lake. Over time, these materials settle to the bottom of the lake at the main inflow points, eventually building up and causing the lake to become shallower. These areas are monitored and once the depths become too shallow for boats to navigate properly, the silt and debris are dredged from the lake bottom. This was successfully accomplished two years ago, so it will be quite a while before that need arises again.

In the spring of 2021, the first application of a natural and safe microbial treatment was added to the lake as a method to reduce the amount of built-up organic material on the lake bottom. This non-toxic product is perfectly safe for the biology of the lake. Depth readings were logged at select locations throughout the lake prior to the first application to use as a benchmark for monitoring the effectiveness of the microbial treatments. Additional depth readings were taken approximately one year later at the exact same locations and the results were very favorable, from anywhere between 2-1/2” to 9-1/2” of added depth! Because of these results, the Lake Committee voted unanimously to continue these treatments in 2023. New depth readings will be taken this spring to confirm the effectiveness of this product.

For those of you who may not know, the following are some fun facts about Lake Serena. It has a surface area of approximately 41 acres but has 5 miles of shoreline! The average depth is just under 9 feet, with a maximum depth of 16 feet. It is home to a plethora of wildlife, including birds, ducks, geese, turtles, raccoons, bobcats, coyotes, and javelina. It also supports a variety of fish species, including Largemouth Bass (Northern and Florida Strain), Black Crappie, Channel and Flathead Catfish, Israeli, and Common Carp, White Amur (Grass Carp), and several species of Sunfish.

We encourage all of you to get out and enjoy Lake Serena and all it has to offer!