As part of The “Rake The Lake” event, Chautauqua Lake Association President Dr. Rudy Mueller puts weeds into a wheelbarrow from Chautauqua Lake’s shoreline. Submitted photo

LAKEWOOD — It will help the health of Chautauqua Lake.

The weeds that wash ashore during the fall can turn into mud and may emit a foul odor. It’s not a pretty site.

Chautauqua Lake Association President Rudy Mueller, wants to clean up the shoreline. It’s a time-consuming job, but to make the shore look good again, it’s worth the effort.

He has dubbed it “Rake The Lake.”

He is seeking volunteers who live along the shoreline. He said it’s not from the land, and not from the water. It’s just along the shore.

He said his goal is to get the weeds that have floated up in the past month. The CLA doesn’t have any more equipment in the water, or the association would try to take the weeds.

“I’m trying to get it before the snow flies. Otherwise it just sits through the winter and decomposes, and it turns into muck and mud and fertilizer for next year’s algae bloom and weed growth,” Mueller said.

Mueller said because the water level will be dropping, the weeds will be fresh. He noted that this is not affliated with the Village of Lakewood’s leaf pickup. If you volunteer, the weeds will have to be taken to the curb of the road. The village’s Department of Public Works will pick up the weeds during the week of Oct. 24, Mueller said.

Currently, this is a project just in Lakewood, but Mueller hopes other lakeside municipalities will hold similar events.

“We are fortunate to have individuals like Dr. Rudy Mueller in Lakewood to take ahold of this issue and try every attempt to get the lake health back on track. The ‘Rake The Lake’ project is a wonderful initiative to get that started in the fall as well as all year long. And additional thanks goes to the entire Lakewood Department of Public Works for the extra projects they take on,” Village Mayor Randy Holcomb said.

Mueller said volunteers can begin at any time, but a group of students from Southwestern Central School will be on hand at the YWCA at 12:30 p.m. Friday to volunteer their services. Mueller said that people who live along the shoreline in the village can volunteer, but all work has to be completed and brought to the curb by Sunday.