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“Mirror Lake has experienced extremely high sediment accumulation. It has currently lost over 7-9 acres of lake surface area to sediment deposits which have created wetlands and dry land. The rest of the lake has become so shallow (ave 3.0 feet depth) that it is in grave danger of losing all lake attributes. Mirror Lake Improvement Association (MLIA), the local lake community, has made efforts … to restore the lake…Mirror Lake is currently acting as a sediment catch basin for the upper Cullasaja River and settling most of the sediment out before it reaches the main body of Lake Sequoyah. This benefit is no longer functioning as well as in the past as sediment deposits in the Cullasaja River arm of Lake Sequoyah have been noted.”
— Upper Cullasaja River Watershed Strategy and Action Plan (2004)
With almost 20 more years of accumulated sediment since this report, the need to Save Mirror Lake is urgent. In 2022, members of the Mirror Lake Improvement Association, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, voted to take on the project of saving what remains of the beautiful lake. The MLIA leadership retained Georgia-based River Sand, Inc. due to their extensive experience in restoring bodies of water.
In partnership with River Sand, a three-phased plan was established. The project is estimated to cost over $3 million and could take up to three years to complete.
PHASE ONE
- Remediation with limited dredging in main body of lake
- Removal of sediment adjacent to bridge/road, boat ramp/access, and parks
PHASE TWO
- Targeted depth goal to be dredged throughout the lake
- Channel created around perimeter of six acres inside Cullasaja Road
PHASE THREE
- Removal of sediment throughout all impacted areas of the lake
- Disposal and relocation of sediment
Save Mirror Lake Campaign Press: Highlands News and The Laurel Magazine