Natural Resources

Village of Wauconda

Department of Environmental Quality

302 Slocum Lake Road
847-526-9610

Jackie Soccorso
Director of Environmental Quality
Superintendent of Administration – Public Works
jsoccorso@wauconda-il.gov

Natural Resources

Bangs Lake
Invasive Species
Threatened and Endangered Species
Landscaping with Native Plants
Watersheds
Wetlands

Bangs Lake

Bangs Lake is a glacial lake that was created over 10,000 years ago by receding glaciers. In the early to mid-1900’s, a dam culvert was installed at the lake’s outlet. Also in the mid-1900’s, the man-made Circle Channel was constructed. The majority of property around the lake is privately owned. The lake bottom consists of sand, rock, and muck. The lake is used for a variety of recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, and boating.

Lake Facts:

Normal Mean Water Elevation:	773.86 above sea level
Surface Area:	306.1 acres
Shoreline Length:	6.3 miles
Maximum Depth:	32 feet
Average Depth:	10.9 feet
Lake Volume:	3,323.6 acre-feet
Watershed:	Fox River
Sub-Watershed:	Slocum Lake Drain
Receiving Waterbody:	Slocum Lake

Lake Management
Lake activities are managed by the Village of Wauconda and the Lake County Health Department Lakes Management Unit. Certain activities require consultation with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. During the boating season, the Wauconda Police Department patrols the lake. The Marine officers enforce all of the Village’s boating and fishing ordinances in addition to applicable Federal, State, and County regulations. The Environmental Quality Department monitors the water level in the lake. The Public Works Department operates the weed harvester. The Lake County Health Department Lakes Management Unit issues bathing beach licenses, conducts inspections, and collects water samples at the licensed beaches twice per month from May-September.

In 2005, Bangs Lake was one of the seven sentinel lakes in the county that the Lakes Management Unit selected to monitor annually for five years. Each year, the lake was monitored for water quality and plant diversity/distribution. The conditions of the shoreline and fish/wildlife populations were also noted, although these were not the primary focus of the study. A report on the condition of the lake was prepared each year. The final year of the sentinel lake monitoring was 2009. A comprehensive five-year report is expected in 2010. Reports are available at http://www.lakecountyil.gov/Health/want/LakeReports.htm.

Bangs Advisory Committee
The Bangs Lake Advisory Committee is an ad-hoc committee that was established by the Mayor in the 1990’s. The committee consists of area volunteer residents and a chairperson (or co-chairs) annually appointed by the Mayor. The committee meets to discuss issues affecting the lake and also sponsors several community lake events such as the Kids Fishing Derby. Please click here for more information.

Plant Harvest Management
A weed harvester is used to cut and harvest aquatic plants and control invasive species on Bangs Lake. The dominant invasive plant species on Bangs Lake are Eurasian Water Milfoil and Curly-leaf Pondweed. The invasive species are a problem because they grow quickly and prevent the native plants that are an essential part of the lake ecosystem from growing. The Village of Wauconda Environmental Quality Department, in cooperation with the Lake County Health Department Lakes Management Unit and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, has developed a plan to manage the aquatic plants on Bangs Lake. The goals of the harvesting program are listed below:

Plant Harvester Goals:

Improve navigation
Improve recreational attributes of the lake
Remove or limit exotic plants
Manage without the use of chemicals
Reduce nutrient load to lake
Return native plants to lake
Restore fish and wildlife habitat
Improve quality of water resource for all to enjoy
Implement plan with Lake County to leave sensitive areas undisturbed.

The Environmental Quality Department has received a bathymetric map from Lake County delineating sensitive areas of native plant species and locations of the invasive species. It also indicates the density of the invasive plants. It is essential that we do not over harvest native plants because the water quality of the lake is dependent on the native aquatic plants. Lanes for navigation will be harvested in sensitive areas to allow for boat traffic. In some sensitive areas the harvester blade will be lifted to allow for mowing rather than complete removal of aquatic plants. The harvester will also avoid fish spawning areas during May and June to allow the fish to reproduce. As you can see, the harvest program will be challenging, but our goal is to strike a balance between our recreational activities and the water quality of the lake.

Phosphorus
Many fertilizers contain phosphorus as one of their components. In fact, the three numbers listed on the fertilizer container represent the percentage, by weight of the contents, of the three major nutrients required for healthy plant growth: nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. It is commonly believed that fertilizing with phosphorus will help to “green up” lawns. However, it is the nitrogen that is responsible for making grass greener. Furthermore, most soils in the Midwest already have adequate amounts of phosphorus to grow healthy lawns.

It is estimated that 90% of properly applied fertilizers will be absorbed into the ground and 10% will leave the site of application through stormwater runoff. This stormwater runoff finds its way to lakes, streams, wetlands, ponds, retention areas, and detention/retention areas. It is in these areas that the excess phosphorus may have detrimental effects. Approximately 1/3 of the land area in the Village drains directly to Bangs Lake, either through direct piping or surface runoff. The remaining 2/3 drain to other areas, including the 40 or so detention basins/ponds located within the Village. On a larger scale, the Village of Wauconda lies in the Fox River Watershed. Much of the stormwater runoff in the Village eventually makes its way to the Fox River, unless it is absorbed into the ground, evaporates, or is otherwise contained in a basin or pond.

The Lake County Health Department Lakes Management Unit collects regular water samples from Bangs Lake and tests the levels of many water quality parameters. One of these parameters is phosphorus. In 2008, the level of phosphorus was 0.020 mg/L which was about a third of the county median (0.065 mg/L). Looking at data from 2000-2008, BangsLake has the 8th lowest phosphorus level among the 163 lakes in Lake County. Detrimental effects are likely to be seen at a phosphorus concentration of 0.030 mg/L. Even though the level of phosphorus in Bangs Lake is low, Lake County recommends that all municipalities adopt an ordinance banning the use of fertilizers that contain phosphorus.

The Village has decided to hold off on an ordinance and instead, continue to educate residents about phosphorus. The Village encourages all residents to look at the label and consider using fertilizers that do not contain any phosphorus. Although Bangs Lake has low levels of phosphorus, it is wise to keep as much phosphorus out of the area streams, wetlands, and stormwater detention/retention areas as possible. For a list of retailers that sell phosphorus-free fertilizers, please click here. For more phosphorus tips, please click here.

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