DAPHNE, Ala. — The D’Olive Bay/Lake Forest Watershed Working Group and the Mobile National Estuary Program will host two meetings Wednesday to raise awareness of erosion and sedimentation issues affecting D’Olive Bay, its feeder creeks — D’Olive and Tiawasee creeks, Joe’s Branch and Yancey Branch — and the Lake Forest subdivision’s lake.

“These meetings are going to educate the people about the issues facing D’Olive Bay and Tiawasee Creek,” Roberta Swann, acting director of the estuary program, said. While an opportunity for feedback from concerned community members will be given, Swann said she expects the meeting to be more informational rather than interactive.

“It’s to educate the community about what we’re trying to achieve with the project,” she said.

“We need the community support. We don’t want to do this thing in a vacuum,” said David Yeager, former director of the estuary program, who is acting as a consultant on the project.

The working group has four goals: reduce upstream sediment inputs into the Lake Forest/D’Olive/Tiawasee system; remediate and restore past effects of the sediment loads; reduce outgoing sediment loads into D’Olive Bay and the Mobile Bay estuary; and mitigate future impacts of development in the watershed.

When asked if there is a time frame expected in achieving these goals, Swann said “the required initial investigation will alllow for a timetable to be set.” She added, “The sediment inputs could range from two to ten years. These meetings will help us identify what we need to do and how long it’s going to take.”

“This study will help us go and seek funding,” Yeager said. “You can’t do anything without a plan.”

If these concerns are not properly dealt with, “there will be no more Lake Forest. We expect and anticipate actions to be taken that will reduce sediment loads,” Swann said.

Siltation of Lake Forest Lake — owned by the Lake Forest Property Owners Association — and the D’Olive and Tiawassee watersheds has drawn scrutiny resulting from the working group.

Run-off from construction, road widening and storms — starting with the 1971 development of Lake Forest — has landed in the lake, resulting in murky, shallow water, according to Yeager.

“The amount of silt put into the water creates a water clarity problem; sunlight cannot penetrate through the water column. Submerged vegetation can die out or be smothered …,” he has said.  “There’s a decrease in finned fish and shell fish; many bottom dwelling critters don’t get up and move around. When sediment comes down they get covered over.”

The group has found that the TimberCreek subdivision brings the heaviest load of sediment  into the lake during high-flow events, according to a November 2006 to November 2007 study. Unchecked, these problems could lead to the continual degradation of coastal waters and potential decreases in property values, according to Yeager.

The first meeting Wednesday will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m.; the second is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m.; both meetings will be in the Council Chambers of Daphne City Hall. The first meeting is for engineering or planning firms, developers and others with a potential business interest in future plans. The later meeting is for the general public.

The working group, led by the estuary program, comprises representatives of local, state and federal agencies, local governments and legislators, the Lake Forest Property Owners Association, business interests and other stakeholders interested in restoring and maintaining water quality in D’Olive Bay and the D’Olive and Tiawasee creek watersheds, according to a news release.

Besides the allotted time for community feedback, the meeting will include presentations — made by working group participants — and a plan to solicit a conceptual management plan for the watershed.

Local leaders have joined forces to study the situation, develop appropriate data and create an action plan aimed at satisfying the broader environmental needs as well as local property owner concerns.

“It’s about what’s washing into Mobile Bay and turning it brown. This issue has been going on since the 1970s. It is a complicated issue,” Swann said.

“Let’s figure out a way to go forward,” Yeager said.

Correspondent Jessica Jones contributed to this report.