Lake Lindero Cleanup Plan to Be Considered

After years of dealing with trespassers and water-quality problems in Lake Lindero, the residents of the development will hear an offer Wednesday from a Santa Barbara company that says it can remedy both.

The Lake Lindero Homeowners Assn. board of directors will present a plan it approved two weeks ago to allow Pan Pacific to clean and beautify the lake and convert it into an exclusive fishing club.

“It’s a unique opportunity to really develop the lake the way it should have been done years ago, and to maintain it that way,” said board treasurer Russell Koehler.

The board engaged Pan Pacific last year to come up with a use for the man-made lake, which long has had problems with water quality. Now, the board will take the idea to the 459 homeowners in the association a few times within the next month before putting it to a vote.

The plan will allow Pan Pacific to build, maintain and secure the lake as a resident-only fishing hole, requiring proof of a permit to use it.

It would include a large main section for catch-and-release fishing, primarily stocked with trophy-size fish. Other sections of the lake would be stocked with edible catch and would be separated for specific purposes, including a fishing lake for children.

Residents have had their share of troubles with Lake Lindero, which Koehler said receives debris and toxins from developments to the west. In 1984, homeowners spent more than $450,000 to drain and clean the lake, which corrected the problem until last summer when it gave off a foul odor and was plagued with dead fish.

Since the area is not zoned for commercial purposes, the company would have to get a conditional-use permit from the city of Agoura Hills before construction can begin.

The homeowners association will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Lake Lindero Country Club, 5719 Lake Lindero Drive.