In partnership with Q.W.A.C. (Quality Water Awareness Campaign), the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 3rd Bridge & Back for Q.W.A.C. 6.5K Fun Run! Stop by and visit the LGA Tent in the Chamber of Commerce parking lot before or after the race.
Join us at the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce office, cross the legendary Eaton Ferry Bridge and circle back for a fun, lake-themed run to help raise awareness for the importance of keeping Lake Gaston’s waters safe and clean!
For the safety of all participants, no animals (leashed or unleashed) will be allowed along the route.
Divisions:
6.5K Race: Registration includes timed 6.5K run/walk and a race t-shirt for those who register by April 12 (or until sizes sell out)
Race "Ducker": Sleep in and support clean water! Includes a race t-shirt mailed to those who register by April 12 (or until sizes sell out)
Registration Fees:
Registration includes a shirt for those who register by April 12 (or until sizes are sold out).
Our May 1st 09:30 AM membership meeting will be a panel discussion of real estate issues with a focus on the Lake Gaston Residential Market.
Our panelists will be Barney Watson, Lake Gaston Real Estate Broker/Owner, Chad Barbour, Lake Gaston Properties Owner/Realtor, and Crystal Dickens, Pointe Realty Group Realtor.
The meeting will be at the Lake Gaston Baptist Church, 2378 Eaton Ferry Road, Littleton, NC (across the street from the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce and Subway Restaurant.) This meeting is open to the public and Lake Gaston Association membership is not required.
Please take a moment to read the proposed changes to the Lake Gaston Association Bylaws. Members in good standing should submit their comments about the changes by emailing them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before April 28, 2024. The proposed changes will be voted on by the membership in attendance at the Annual Membership Meeting on June 8, 2024. The meeting will be held at the Lake Gaston Baptist Church and will begin at 9:00am.
In 2023 the LGA leadership conducted a Member Survey to identify how effective we are and what are the most important areas of concern for our members. This is the 6th survey that has been conducted in the last 17 years, so we are also able to look at results over time.
We had 297 responses which is approximately 14% of our membership.
On a scale from 1 to 4, we were rated at 3.5 for overall effectiveness. This is the highest ranking from all previous surveys. The areas we scored very favorable in are communications and community safety. Areas needing improvement are Government Relations and Lake Clean-up. Areas that our members said were of most importance to them are the environment/watershed and aquatic plant management.
Your LGA leadership is taking a hard look at these results and comments made as we move ahead in our strategic planning process this spring. We value this input and will stay focused on what is important to our members and strive for improvement.
Recently, a news blog seen by some LKG residents identified Lake Gaston as the “North Carolina Lake Number 1 Most Leech Infested In The Country.” The identified author, Melanie Day, goes on to state “new data has a North Carolina lake as the most leech-infested in the country.” However, no such data is actually presented. In fact, the original blog by “Animals Around the Globe” that was used as the supposed source, titled “The 6 Most Leech Infested Lakes in the United States,” does not even identify Lake Gaston as one of the six most leech-infested lakes in the country. The article, written by Dona Van Eeden from South Africa, does not even really discuss Lake Gaston! A few months ago, a similar blog identified Lake Gaston as having the “cleanest water in North Carolina.” Similar to the article on leeches, it may be entertaining reading but presents zero scientific (or even non-scientific) data for such a claim. The bottom line is this type of “news” should not be considered reliable as in many cases it may be based on nothing more than a web search to see how many instances a topic is noted in social media or other websites, and has no scientific analysis or technical research.
Lake Gaston certainly has leeches, but there is no reliable information to indicate there are any more or less than any similar lake across the country or the state. Here are some facts about leeches:
●There are more than 650 species of leeches worldwide with about 80 species in North America and about 20 of those found in North Carolina.
●Leeches are a natural component of lake and pond ecosystems and the presence of leeches is in no way associated with polluted water.
●Leeches provide food for some types of fish and aquatic birds, as well as turtles, snakes, and crayfish.
●Leeches are found in a variety of freshwater aquatic environments, including lakes, ponds, marshes, springs, and slow streams, typically found in the area along the shoreline in areas protected from wave action.
●Leech bites are harmless to humans although they may become infected by bacteria.
Keeping your shoreline clear of organic material such as leaves and other debris can help reduce leech habitat. Chemicals should never be put in the lake in an effort to kill leeches as it may be a violation of federal/state clean water laws and the Dominion Shoreline Management Plan. It can also result in killing fish, birds, and other wildlife and may harm humans and pets recreating in the lake.
The moral of the story is when reading an online “news” article, be sure to consider the source. Or as a very smart person said, just because you read it on the web doesn’t mean it's true!
Article written by John Franz LGA Lake Environment Committee Chairperson
