CANFIELD TWP. Residents complain of lake woes

A lake is clogged with silt and fish are dying, a resident said.
CANFIELD -- Township residents complained to trustees Monday evening about drainage, sedimentation and wildlife problems in the vicinity of Fox Lane and Raccoon Road, which they say has been caused by new home construction in the area.
"I need some help. It's a disgrace. There's absolutely no sediment control," complained Joseph Davis of Rabbit Ridge Road, who said a lake on his property remains muddy for two weeks after a single rainfall.
Davis said sedimentation has reduced the depth of his lake from a minimum of four feet to 18 inches to two feet. "How can you approve a person's lake as sediment control?" he asked trustees.
Fish in the area have been killed by the sediment, which has clogged their gills and made it impossible for them to breathe, he added. "All the weeds and stuff that are starting to grow in there are depriving the fish of oxygen and they die,'' he said.
Spoken to officials: Davis told trustees he has complained to the Mahoning County Engineer's and Sanitary Engineer's offices, and to environmental and wildlife protection, soil and water conservation and township zoning officials about the matter. "Let the fresh water -- the clean water -- drain into the creek. Stop the erosion around it with straw and seed," he urged the trustees.
Trustee Chairman Paul Moracco said trustees would tour the area and discuss the matter at their Aug. 13 meeting.
Also addressing the matter was Ray Stiger of Pleasant Valley Lane, who said federal and state sediment control regulations are being violated. "If you allow it, you are also in violation,'' he told trustees.
Both Stiger and Davis showed the trustees photos documenting their complaints.