August/September 2025 Newsletter

Crockery Lake Association
Oct 9
7 min read

JULY 2025 NEWSLETTER

Crockery Lake Association

Helpful Links:

Email: crockerylakeassociation@gmail.com

Crockery Lake Website: www.crockerylake.org

Facebook Page: www.facebook/crockerylake

Independence Day Celebration – July 3, 2025

CROCKERY LAKE ASSOCIATION

JULY 2025 NEWSLETTER

CROCKERY LAKE WEBSITE: www.crockerylake.org

CROCKERY LAKE EMAIL: crockerylakeassociation@gmail.com

CROCKERY LAKE FACEBOOK: www.facebook/crockerylake

DISAPPOINTING NEWS

Chester Township received the news that Ottawa County Circuit Court Judge Jon

Hulsing has ruled in favor of Ottawa County in that the contract between Ottawa County

and Chester Township to fund theremediation of Crockery lake is invalid. The full report

has been released to the CLA Board atthe time of this newsletter.

Please join us at

the next CLA Board meeting on October 15, 2025 for further

explanation and discussion about what to do next.

CLA BOARD MEETING

The last CLA Board meeting is October 15, 2025 at 7pm. The meeting will be at the

Chester Township Hall: 3509 Sehler St. Conklin, Mi 49403.

We will discuss our next steps for lake remediation in light of the judgement that we

will not get support of any kind from Ottawa County.

The Board of Directors values your thoughts, ideas, and opinions about our lake.

FIREWORKS 2026

Thank you to everyone who donated to the fireworks fund so far. Crockery

Lake fireworks are totally paid for from contributions from our lake residents and

friends. In order to enjoy the same show next year we need to raise a little more

money: A total of $7,500. At this time we have $5,546.31! We need $1953.69

more to match this year's fireworks display.

We are working on some special plans for next July 3, 2026 because it is

the 250 birthday of our country. So let’s go all out!! Fireworks donations, yard

decorating, boat parade, possibly some live music on the lake! Let’s celebrate

Crockery Lake style!

Donations can be made via

the website at: www.crockerylake.org

or send to:

Greg Slater

2500 Crockery Shores Road

Casnovia, 49318

FIRE WORKS FUNDRAISER 2025

“HIGH FIVE TO THE SUMMER OF 2025”

Lesha Gustin and Nicole Bonter are offering 2025 Crockery Lake T-shirts again this year. All profit from sales will go toward the 2026 firework fund. They are a lovely heather grey. T-shirts sell for $20 each. Contact Lesha at 616-822-7139 by calling or texting to order. Thank you, Lesha and Nicole.

THREE GENERATIONS OF CROCKERY LAKE WATERSKIERS

What a spectacular sight to see three generations of Crockery Lake dwellers in the

same family waterskiing at the same time behind their boat. From left to right: Tristan

Menn son/grandson growing up on the lake, Jeff Menn the dad/son who now owns the

house on Crockery Lake he grew up in, and Steve Menn the father/grandfather who

once lived in this house on the lake. The miracle of this is that Steve is celebrating this

victory after a heart transplant a few years ago. They are all enjoying and celebrating

their love for Crockery Lake!

A REAL FISH STORY

Congratulations to ParkerSlater, grandson of Greg and Ellen Slater who caught this beautiful 22 inch bass off Slater’s dock in August. Grandpa promised to get it mounted if it was big enough and this qualifies! If anyone has a great fish story from our lake please submit it to the board crockerylakeassociation@gmail.com

END OF SEASON LAKE CLEAN UP

As we clean up this year there are a few things with lake front clean up to keep in

mind:

1.Please rake up your leaves when they fall and dispose of them properly.

Please do not rake or blow grass and leaves into the lake. When they rot in

the water they add to the phosphorus into the lake. This will encourage algae to

grow next year.

2. Clean fire pits out so that if we get high water that comes into

the yard, the ash will not flow into the lake.

3. Make sure all kayaks, floats, docks, swim rafts and toys are far enough

away from the waters edge so they will not float away if we get excessive rain or

when the melt comes in the spring.

4. Please clean up dog excrement during the winter. Melting snow will also

carry this into the lake and we know what e-coli does to a lake.

5. We always encourage you to pump your septic tank every 3-5 years

depending on use. This is huge in keeping our water quality good.

6. All boats and docks must be removed from the lake from December

15 to March 15 of each year.

7. Fall is a great time to plant some native plants to help maintain your

shoreline.

~ Flowering plants would include: Marsh Milkweed, Swamp Aster, Joe

Pye-weed, Boneset, Cardinal Flower, Great Blue Lobelia, Jewelweed, Allegheny

Monkey Flower, Sweet Gale, Ditch Stonecrop, Water Smartweed, and Lizards tail.

~ Grasses include: Water Sedge, Bristly Sedge, Porcupine Sedge, Lake Sedge,

Tussock Sedge, Virginia Wild Rye, Baltic Rush, Soft Rush, River Bulrush, and

Wool Grass. There are also trees and shrubs that work well on shorelines. Plants

will help protect your shore from waves also. For a complete list with more

information and pictures of each plant go to

www.mishorelinepartnership.org/between-water-level-and-ordinary-high-water-

mark.html

WATER QUALITY REPORT

At the next board meeting we will discuss the results of Restorative Lake Sciences three

testings this summer. We are now in a good position to apply for EGLE permits for

whatever we move forward with in lake cleanup.

At the last Secchi Testing done by the Lanes, the clarity was 7.5feet deep. This is the best

it has been in the past 4 years. We can’t get too excited about this. The lake bottom is not

healing itself. There are factors that contributed to the clarity of the lake: 1. A dry summer

2. Less fertilizer (manure) was added to the fields around the lake 3. Hardly any runoff

3from the fields because there was no rain 4. Less seepage from drain fields and septic

tanks due to dryer ground 5. Lower geese population this year. Even though it was a hot

summer all of the above mentioned reasons helped prevent algae blooms.

FREE WELL WATER TESTING

Now available for Michigan residents

TheDepartment of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is excited to

announce a special program to help Michigan families know the quality of their well

water. EGLE and local health departments (LHD) are working together to ensure that

safe drinking water is a priority for Michigan families.

Last year, the Michigan Legislature appropriated $5 million to provide free well water

testing for Michigan residents who rely on a household or private well for their drinking

water. Water from private wells may sometimes not be safe to drink. EGLE and the

LHDs want to help families know if their water is safe to drink, and this free well water

testing will help get them that answer.

Most wells get checked when they are first built; however, EGLE and the LHDs know

that water wells should be checked more frequently as water quality may change over

time. This testing can determine if there have been any water quality changes to your

well that could be harmful to those who drink and use that well water.

Many different substances may be found in well water that could be harmful and may

cause illness, including bacteria; nitrates; and some metals, such as arsenic. Residents

who test through this free program will have the assistance of the LHD to help

determine next steps if test results show a problem with their well water quality.

If you have a private well and you want to know if your water is safe to drink, here is

what you can do:

Talk to your LHD. They can tell you if there is anything special you need to know

about the water in your area.

Go to the EGLE website gov/EGLEPrivateWells. Here, you can add your

information to ask for a water test. You will also learn more about how to collect a

water sample to send to the laboratory.

Don’t worry if you are not sure what the laboratory results mean – your LHD will

help you understand the results and will guide you on next steps, if necessary.

This free testing program is your first step in knowing if the water you drink from your

private well is safe, and steps to take if an issue is found.To stay up to date on other

EGLE news follow us at Michigan.gov/MIEnvironment.

New Interactive Classes for Boater Safety (and hunter education)

The MichiganDepartment of Natural Resources now oﬀers boater safety

and hunter education as interactive online courses, giving students an enhanced

experience that exposes them to real-life scenarios.

The interactive learning options are oﬀered in addition to the existing traditional

classroom and online learning options for both hunter and boater safety.

Boater safety students who opt for the interactive program will follow a

storyline adventure that places them in real-life boating scenarios. While virtually

navigating a vessel, students may approach a sailboat and must determine the

best way to manage the encounter.

Approved by the National Association of State Boating Law

Administrators, the ilearntoboat program allows students to navigate the

curriculum at their own pace and complete the required assessments, including

a final exam.

Boaters born after June 30, 1996, and most personal watercraft operators

who operate a vessel in Michigan must have a boating safety certificate.

The Michigan DNR recreational safety certificate is valid in other states,

which often require an approved boater safety certificate to rent a boat or

personal watercraft (such as a JetSki).

education course at Michigan.gov/RecreationalSafety (hunter education

oﬀerings are also available at this link). https://www.boat-

ed.com/michigan/

ADVERTISERS

Advertising in this newsletter is FREE to Crockery Lake Association Members.

Advertising for business is $25/year. Inclusion of any advertisement in the CLA Newsletter does not equate to an endorsement by the Crockery Lake Association