App Note: Clever kayak rig navigates tricky bathmetry challenge

It was a small lake, but a big challenge. Covering about 43 acres (17 ha), the lake is at the center of the Lake Forest subdivision in Daphne, Alabama and is completely surrounded by private property. Bret Webb, associate professor of Civil, Coastal and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Alabama, was starting a month-long study of sedimentation in the lake to help authorities evaluate flood storage capacity and potential restoration activities, but he was having trouble reaching the water. There was no public boat access, and thick vegetation prevented surveying elevations above the water level.