Hello Sam,
The whole goal of a lake is to eventually fill up with muck, become a wetland and eventually land.
Our job as "Aeration Professionals" is to slow down this process and in some cases even reverse it.
From the photos you posted, Ewest is correct that the majority of your problem is Duckweed and Watermeal. These plants are mixed in with some pithothora "cotton algae" in the shallow regions.
Most aquatic weed and algae problems exist because the lake is unable to assimilate the nutrients that exists in the lake or are washing in. This is one of the points that Mr. Gallus was making about the number of home sites on the lake and the potential of increased nutrients due to lawn fertilizer etc.
Sue is right about the ways to reverse this process of aging and increase the assimilation capacity of the lake. But, aeration does not kill any weeds or algae directly. Aeration in most cases will not even affect your main problems of Duckweed or Watermeal other than pushing to the sides.
The good news is that if you are able to use an approved aquatic herbicide to kill the dw and wm, by adding aeration that is sized and custom designed for your lake, the nutrients that are feeding the dw,wm and algae are bound up and not available as a food source.
As Bob Lusk has always lectured, you need to first lay out what the ultimate goal of the lake shall be:
1.)Fishing
2.)Recreation
3.)aesthetics
Once this is decided, then a detailed plan of action can be outlined as well as a budget and a timeline drawn. There is no reason to just jump right into purchasing $2,000.00 in aeration equipment and still have a dw & wm problem. There are steps to be taken to reslove your lake requirements and yes you can have a beautiful lakefront property, it just takes time.
