LAKESIDE - With Tenmile Lakes practically at his doorstep, one might envision many a bright, lazy day on the water for Jim “Butch” Nickerson and his family.

But owning a prime piece of lakefront property no longer means a hop, skip and a dive into North Tenmile.

In fact, the past three years have been pretty dry for Nickerson, who hasn't been able to access the lake since water levels became increasingly low. A day of boating now requires an eight-mile drive to Lakeside city docks.

“Our boathouses are sitting high and dry in the silt,” Nickerson said. He noted that from June to September each year, lakefront homeowners like himself can't get to the water. “It's just another house in the country. Even though you can see the lake, you can't get to it.”

Nickerson is one of about 30 homeowners who spoke of myriad lake problems with Sen. Joanne Verger and Rep. Arnie Roblan, both of Coos Bay, when the two Oregon lawmakers visited the area for a lake tour and barbecue at the Sunlake Marina in Lakeside, on Friday.

Problems include toxic algae blooms and non-native plants that muck up and clog the waterway, as well as sedimentation and low water levels that prevent people from using Tenmile, which has been lauded as one of the best recreational lakes in the Pacific Northwest by Lakeside Marina officials. The water level hasn't been this low since 1956, said Mike Mader of the Tenmile Lakes Basin Partnership.

“We are all here ... to find a solution to clean up the sediment on this arm of the lake. It's taking the water rights away from the property owners,” Nickerson said.

Some residents, including Ruth and Alvin Adams, the owners of Sunlake Marina on the Big Creek arm of North Tenmile Lake, said state agencies, such as the Division of State Lands, are aware of the Tenmile's issues, but are unable to act without direction from an elected official. Hence, drawing the attention of Verger and Roblan was an important step toward maintaining the lake.

“That's what all this is about here. We are gaining the support of our elected officials,” Adams said, adding that the effort will need permits and grants to create permanent solutions. He said he believes logging near the lake is partly to blame for low water levels, because nothing is preventing land that has been recently logged from slipping into the water during heavy rains.

Adams said he has watched many of his neighbors lose lake frontage and believes his marina may lose some of its slips in coming years.

After taking Verger and Roblan on a boat tour of the North Tenmile that morning, Mader said he strived to teach them the issues so they can in turn assist in efforts to improve water quality. Together they discussed toxicology, record low water levels, the impact of sedimentation, non-native plants and fish in the lake, and the constraints local groups have faced in handling these problems.

The partnership is a local watershed council that works with state and local agencies to improve and maintain nature, fisheries and water quality.

“When dirt comes in during heavy rains (in the winter) it provides nutrients for algae and weeds. Not only do we have a shallowing, but that nitrogen and phosphorous that comes in is feeding one of our big headaches,” Mader said. “(It) impacts all benefits of the lake and some of the toxic algae can kill you.”

Mader said having Verger and Roblan meet lakefront homeowners put a human face on the issues.

Some ways to deal with these problems would be dredging or damming the lake, but Mader said these are very difficult projects that are as far as 20 years into the future.

“The bottom line is there are no easy answers from legislators or experts. ... Quite frankly, some of the answers might not be there,” Mader said. “I'm not expecting miracles but some honest discussion is ... a good start.”

As a former resident of the Tenmile Lakes waterfront, Verger said she was happy to listen to community members and their problems, and was very concerned by the lake's condition. Having lived there, she said she had something to compare it to.

“I'm very hopeful that we can get a group of people together that can be helpful to homeowners at Tenmile Lake,” Verger said, adding she was most concerned by health issues associated with the algae and other toxins. “I think it really deserves the attention of the state agencies that are involved.”

The senator said she was impressed with both the partnership and the community because they are working to resolve problems rather than just fussing about them.

“They want to be part of the dialogue,” she said.

The next step, Verger said, will be for her and Roblan to contact state agencies including the Division of State Lands, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and public health to find a solution.

“We must be concerned about water that people are taking from here ... (like) swimming in the lake without being sure it's absolutely healthy,” Verger said.

Roblan said speaking with citizens impacted by the lake gave him a better handle on the issues. He said while he isn't sure if it is within the state's power to help, he said he doesn't want to see Lakeside become “marshside.”

Scott Jacobsen, a Lakeside homeowner who moved to the lake from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, two years ago, has dealt with water quality issues since he came to the South Coast. He said he has to import drinking water to his property, despite a special filter he uses to sanitize the water.

Although frustrated by the lack of local drinking water, Jacobsen said he feared Tenmile's issues would eventually alienate tourists.

“My issue with drinking water is a little sideline. Water quality is the big issue,” Jacobsen said.

Watching an osprey swoop over the lake as it spotted a fish, Jacobsen, who had stepped away from the barbecue, said he was hopeful the meeting with Verger and Roblan would make a difference.

“If we can fight a war in Iraq, we can fix this (expletive) lake. I believe that with all of my heart,” Jacobsen said.