Foul Odors From Lake Sherwood Raise Ire of Residents Nearby : Environment: But facility’s managers say they have now developed a maintenance plan to keep the water clean.

When Lake Sherwood residents agreed to support David H. Murdock’s plans for a luxury housing development and golf course, the developer in turn promised to restore the man-made lake and keep it clean.

Murdock was quick to dredge the nearly dry lake bed and refill it shortly after he acquired the property in 1985. But since then, residents complain that Murdock has been slow to put together a long-term plan to keep Lake Sherwood odor-free and clear of a green-brown carpet of algae.

Although Murdock’s managers are beginning to treat the complaints seriously by hiring maintenance workers to clean the surface of the water, residents say they remain concerned about the lake’s future.

The need for a comprehensive maintenance plan became impossible to ignore last summer when large sections of the 168-acre lake were covered over with dead algae, giving off a foul smell that wafted through the small lakeside community.

“It had a sewage kind of smell,” said longtime resident Jim McCleod. “For a good month it was pretty crummy. The algae was so thick that frogs could hop across it.”

Representatives for Murdock said that in addition to their initial cleanup efforts they are moving quickly to develop a long-term plan that would prevent similar blooms of smelly algae. They hope to have the plan in place by spring.

Tom Barnard, general manager of the Sherwood Country Club, said it’s in Murdock’s “best interest” to keep the lake in good condition. “There has to be some maintenance done to it,” he said. “You can’t let a body of water sit idle, or it will turn on you.”

But residents said they have been complaining for years that Murdock is not living up to his agreement. They say the developer has been reluctant to spend the estimated $200,000 or more a year needed to maintain the lake, in part because the recession has slowed the sale of lavish homes in the Lake Sherwood Ranch development. Only about 60 of the 450 homes planned have been built.

“Murdock doesn’t want to sink money into the lake until he gets his money back from his investment,” said Bob Liberman, a 23-year resident of the older lakeside community. “We can understand his predicament, but at the same time we feel he has a responsibility and an obligation to follow through with his agreement to properly maintain the lake. None of us are feeling sorry for Mr. Murdock.”

Barnard dismissed any notion that Murdock has been slow to develop a maintenance plan because of financial concerns.

“We understand the responsibility we have incurred,” said Barnard, who is responsible for overseeing the maintenance plan. “We will do whatever it takes to keep the lake alive.”

Barnard said part of the reason for the delay was simply finding the right person for the job and making sure that the work is done right.

Most residents said they are concerned about uncontrolled algae growth, and the shoreline being overrun by aquatic plants. They also worry about the reclaimed water used at Sherwood Country Club and manure from Hidden Valley livestock getting into the lake and the effect that might have on swimming and fishing.

“I don’t see a tremendous amount of runoff,” McCleod said. “But when there is runoff, it looks like the muddy Mississippi when it comes in.”

As a result, McCleod said he believes there is the potential for harmful bacteria to flourish in the lake.

McCleod said he fears the lake has not been a priority for the developers of Murdock’s Lake Sherwood Ranch. “It’s nice to see the country club go in with its nice manicured lawns and all, but over the years nothing has happened much with the lake.”

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Although there have been several studies of the lake, it was not until May of this year that Murdock hired consultant Franz Bigelow to launch an interim maintenance plan. A long-term plan is expected to be completed by April.

Despite last year’s problems, Bigelow said “the lake has been doing extremely well this summer.”

He said Murdock’s representatives have hired laborers to clear the lake surface of dead algae, weeds and other plants that created some of the odor problems last year. Copper sulfate is being sprayed on the lake surface to control algae growth.

Still, Bigelow said more research is needed to put together a comprehensive plan to keep the lake clean. Bigelow, a former manager of the man-made lake in Westlake, said he is studying how fast weeds and plants grow during different times of the year. This will be helpful in determining the best way to treat the lake with copper sulfate, he said.

He said residents should not be overly concerned about the “nutrients” that make their way into the lake from the golf course or nearby pastures in Hidden Valley. He noted that droppings from dogs, cats and wild animals that live in the area also get into the lake.

“Any excrement on the ground is going to get in,” he said. “There’s no getting away from it. You’re never going to effectively keep out nutrients.”

Bigelow said the abundant fish population and plant life are evidence that the lake is thriving and is not contaminated or polluted. The tricky part, he said, is how to control algae growth without harming fish and beneficial plants.

“Right now we’re getting to know the lake,” Bigelow said. “We’re trying to find out what happens when we add copper sulfate. We don’t want to interfere with the food chain of the fish. We don’t want to kill all organisms. We want to control them and manage them, not destroy them.”

Despite his best efforts, Bigelow said there will probably still be days when the lake gives off a foul odor.

He said this would be more likely to occur in fall. He said during especially cool evenings the surface water will become cold and heavy and sink to the bottom of the lake, forcing warm water to the surface.

Because dead fish, plants, leaves and other organisms usually settle at the bottom, the rising warm water brings with it a decaying “rotten eggs smell.”

“It’s all very normal and natural,” Bigelow said. “But when you mix people in with that,” he said, it becomes a problem.

Bigelow said an underwater aeration system that produces bubbles to help mix and control water temperature could help alleviate unpleasant odors. But he said such a system is expensive, and he suggests it would be better to pinpoint problems in the lake first before investing in such equipment.

“To just run out there with an aeration system would be silly,” he said. “We need to design a system first and determine the areas that need help.”

Bigelow also said that maintaining the lake’s water level could control some odors that occur when the level drops, leaving odorous mud and dead weeds exposed on the shoreline.

He said he plans to launch a periodic newsletter to keep residents informed about what is happening with the lake.

Paul Culver, president of the Lake Sherwood Community Assn., which represents about 100 residents, said the association is pleased with the recent work being done by Bigelow and believes Murdock is finally serious about putting a lake management plan together.

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He said the association has formed a committee to work with Murdock and advise him about its own objectives, such as ensuring that pesticides or other harmful agents are not used in cleaning the lake.

“We’d like to see the lake managed properly,” Culver said. “It’s our primary asset. We’re making progress toward that.”

Even McCleod and Liberman agree.

“We feel more encouraged,” said Liberman, who regularly swims in the lake. “We’ve finally got them to acknowledge that, ‘Yes, we really don’t have a plan at this time.’ ”

McCleod pointed out that Bill Hamilton, manager of the golf course, is being trained by Bigelow in how to clean and maintain the lake, which will ultimately be Hamilton’s responsibility.

“It looks like they’re starting to pay attention” to residents’ concerns, McCleod said. “They finally seem to be showing serious interest in putting something together.”

Supervisor Maria VanderKolk, whose district includes Lake Sherwood, said whatever plan Murdock comes up with will ultimately have to be approved by the county.

Although the county continues to monitor the lake to ensure that it is not being polluted, there is not much it can do about aesthetics or odors, VanderKolk said.

“But I personally think the smell issue is very important,” she said. “Nobody wants to live next door to that. That’s something they’re going to have to come to terms with.”

Otherwise, she said, “when the rich and famous move into their homes they’re going to find themselves next to a smelly lake.”

But keeping a lake clean and odorless can be an expensive proposition.

Westlake homeowners employ a full-time operations manager and two full-time employees to maintain the 156-acre lake there, said Benson R. Schulman, president of the homeowners association. The Westlake Lake management office has an annual budget of more than $400,000, which is collected in fees from the area’s 1,500 households, he said.

Runoff from a county flood control channel that extends from Lake Sherwood and feeds into Westlake makes it difficult to keep the lake clean, Schulman said. Because of heavy rains over the last two years, debris and silt have piled up at the lake’s west end.

Schulman said dredging is needed to remove the silt, but that such an operation would cost about $280,000. He said the homeowners association is talking with the county, the city of Thousand Oaks, and Lake Sherwood officials about sharing in the cost.

“We just want them to pay an equitable amount,” he said.

Schulman said swimming is not allowed in Westlake’s waters for liability reasons, but residents are allowed to fish. Also, he said odor problems are not a major concern because algae growth is controlled through regular maintenance.

If Lake Sherwood needed dredging or other expensive work, Murdock said he might ask homeowners to join with him in paying for it. “We would get together as a community,” Barnard said, to share the cost.

The 120 residents who live around Lake Sherwood and are part of the original community now pay a $643 annual user fee, but only on a voluntary basis. Home buyers in the Lake Sherwood Ranch development also pay fees to use the lake. The money collected goes toward maintenance and insurance for the lake.

Jack Speirs, a 50-year resident of Lake Sherwood, said he is not worried. He said Murdock will follow through and have his maintenance plan in place next spring.

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“Murdock saved this lake,” said Speirs, who has been criticized by some for being a staunch supporter of the developer. “I think he’s doing everything he can (to maintain it). They’re taking an awful long time. But I think they’re doing things to make sure they’re on the right track.”

Speirs, who quit the community association years ago because of the hostile attitude of some members toward Murdock, said that residents should consider themselves fortunate to be dealing with an individual who lives in their neighborhood and not some giant faceless corporation. He said he believes as long as Murdock, now 70, is alive he will see to it that the lake is properly maintained.

“So gather ye flowers while ye may,” Speirs advises, “and pray that Murdock lives to a ripe old age.”