Businessman Ned Gillette and his wife bought property on Lake Petenwell in 2010, with the intention of building a vacation home. They spent the summer enjoying the lake, until August when the annual algae blooms arrived. They were alarmed by the density and odor of the algae, as well as the health risks associated with it. They are now having second thoughts about their decision.
“As we speak, we’re contemplating building a vacation home on Petenwell and analyzing whether or not this is a good investment. We’re contemplating should we move forward or should we not based on water quality issues… But my fear is that Petenwell becomes a dump, and 20 years down the road, we’ve built upon a cesspool.”
Local economic development near Petenwell is hindered by the algae blooms. Gillette and other would-be investors are hesitant to invest in the area because of the polluted water.
“If I’m a business or property owner… I’m very interested in finding out what I can do to attract more people to the area. For the state and local municipalities, there’s a potential tax base there that is just not happening. I would contend that the reason Petenwell hasn’t attracted more interest is the algae.”