LINCOLN – Since 2004, members of the nonprofit Brownlee Lake Association have worked diligently in preserving Brownlee Lake in Lincoln, reverse the deterioration of the fishery and restore the lake to make it central point of fishing, boating and swimming.

Between 2004 and 2015 the 28 family memberships have raised $110,000 in support of the restoration project that has included a commissioned comprehensive study of the water quality, habitat and fishery and the installation of a Vertex aeration system.

Fifty percent of the funds came from fundraisers including golf and bowling outings, the annual boat parade and the annual garage sale. The rest of the funds come from donations, membership dues and grants.

After running the system for two years, the association was able to add fish, which was done in 2014 when 2,000 bluegill fingerlings were released into the lake and again in 2015 when an additional 1,500 hybrid bluegill fingerlings were released.

In moving forward, Secretary Edward Buelow said continued operation and maintenance of the aeration system will be needed and is what the association will focus its efforts on.

Buelow said each year the aeration system, which continues to oxygenate the water, costs $5,000 in electrical usage and approximately $3,000 in equipment maintenance in the 87 acre lake.

“The lake itself as we understand it is thousands of years old and was used for fishing and for water supplies,” Buelow said.

Through oral history, Buelow said he has learned from prior residents that Brownlee Lake once was used as a supply for drinking waters.

“As (the lake) has gotten older we noticed that it was going through a cycle and that’s when we elected to investigate and have the water tested along with the lake bed tested. That’s how we knew something needed to be done,” Buelow said.

As the lake-goers watched the vegetation and fish disappearing from the lake in the mid 1990s and early 2000s, Buelow said residents, both on and off the lake, rallied to form the Brownlee Lake Association.

“If this lake died it would be detrimental to not only those on the lake but the community,” Buelow said. “Everything we do is strictly for the benefit of the lake.”

The aeration system works to create columns of small bubbles that rise to the surface of the lake creating a circular motion causing the water on the lake bottom to move to the lake surface where oxygen is then reintroduced. Buelow said through this process the decomposition process of organic material can be sped up and increasing the dissolved oxygen improves the quality of the water.

In April, the association ran into an issue with aeration system diffusers that had been flipped over from boat anchors. As a result, the system was shut down in order to adjust the diffusers and to rearrange the 21,000 feet of hoses into a new configuration throughout the lake.

In August, once the repairs were made, Buelow said the system was turned back on and all compressors and diffusers are operational.

Between the yearly maintenance and electricity used, Buelow said the lake expense keeps the association busy fundraising. When surprise maintenance is needed, such as the incident with the diffusers this summer, Buelow said a challenge is presented.

However, the Brownlee Lake Association intends to continue toward its mission.

“This lake is important to the Village of Lincoln because it helps the tax base here, the economy, bringing tourists to this area and that’s th whole key. We want to bring Lincoln back to what it was at one time,” Buelow said.

As a public lake, Buelow said the association is open to anyone to participate.

For those interested in becoming involved, to donate or to ask questions, contact the Brownlee Lake Association at P.O. Box 231, Lincoln, MI 48742.

Paige Trisko can be reached via email at ptrisko@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5693. Follow Paige on Twitter @pt_alpenanews. Read her blog, Scribbles on Pa(i)ges, at www.thealpenanews.com.