The Columbia Association announced this week that dredging on Wilde Lake will begin this spring instead of the previously scheduled start date of August 2012.

The CA received approval for a waiver that will allow the contractor, JND Thomas Company, to begin dredging in April. The start of construction on the staging area is scheduled to begin this month.

The work is not expected to disrupt the use of the walking and biking paths, the dock or activities at the Wilde Lake Barn, according to the CA. The dredging is scheduled to be completed in time for the CA Nature Camp program to operate this summer.

JND Thomas will be removing approximately 15,000 cubic yards of sediment from the lake as part of the dredging process. The company was awarded the $1.85 million contract after the initial company hired for the project was terminated for non-performance, according to the CA.

The staging area—where the company will keep its equipment and unload dredged material into trucks—will be located in the park area below the dam and accessed from the corner of West Running Brook Road and Hyla Brook Road.

In the March Issue of CA Monthly, the association listed the reduction of plant growth through the removal of phosphorous and nitrogen laden sediment as the primary benefit of dredging. Also, dredging will make the lake deeper and keep the water temperature cooler during the summer, according to CA Monthly.

The dredging of Lake Kittamaqundi finished in December of 2011. Problems at Lake Elkhorn have delayed the dredging project there, but the process is scheduled to resume in June, according to the CA.