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Saving Mirror Lake
Issue: October - 2022
A local group is working to preserve one of Highlands’ most scenic landmarks – tranquil Mirror Lake.
The quiet Highlands community of Mirror Lake is one of the oldest in the town. It was mainly settled by residents of upstate South Carolina, who like so many others “summering” on the Plateau, were looking to escape oppressive summer heat. At the center of the community was, of course, Mirror Lake, which has served as a landmark since the town’s inception. But over the decades, development all along the lake’s banks have allowed silt to clog its inlets and fill in its contours. Grass is even growing on a sediment island just north of Mirror Lake Bridge. It’s a stunning sight, and it portends serious changes to the lake if steps are not taken now. That’s where the Mirror Lake Improvement Association comes in. In the 1990s, former Mayor Buck Trott led the association’s effort to remove the silt and to deepen the lake, and he secured state and federal aid to ensure the project’s success. The Mirror Lake Improvement Association hopes to reproduce that effort with a novel three-stage plan that’ll restore the lake to its status as a thriving resource. They’ve enlisted the support of the Highlands Town Board in their efforts. “This three-phase plan is probably our best chance to restore the lake and prevent it from being declared a wetland, said the association’s Pat Gleeson. This view was corroborated by Highlands Mayor Patrick Gleeson, who said, “Mirror Lake is an asset and anything we can do to protect it is something we should consider.” Phase one would dredge a 250-foot swath both upstream and downstream from the bridge. The second phase would continue upstream along Cullasaja Drive and expand the channel to 11 feet wide and four feet deep. Phase three would return to the boundaries of phase one and continue the dredging downstream. The estimated price tag for phase one of the dredging is $450,000, with a total cost of roughly $4.5 million to $5 million, according to Gleeson. While the association is raising funds to support the project, there is a possibility that the town as a municipality may be eligible for state and federal grants. To accomplish this, the association has reached out to the Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District, the first step in navigating a dizzying maze of bureaucracies – the US Army Corps of Engineers, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. If you’d like to help fund this bold undertaking, visit gofundme.com/save-mirror-lake or call (828) 200-3857.
