"The Lake of the Ozarks already has sufficient nutrients and organic matter. A large amount of
organic matter, such as leaves that fall each autumn, makes its way into the lake naturally, and
any benefits (habitat or otherwise) to having leaf litter in the lake are achieved through natural
processes. Any additional leaf litter may be unnecessary and even negative. Additionally, the
disposal of yard waste into lake waters can compromise the aesthetic and recreation experiences
of downstream residences. Routine or chronic violators of this policy are subject to enforcementfees and/or suspension of shoreline permits." - Shoreline Management Plan - Appendix B
organic matter, such as leaves that fall each autumn, makes its way into the lake naturally, and
any benefits (habitat or otherwise) to having leaf litter in the lake are achieved through natural
processes. Any additional leaf litter may be unnecessary and even negative. Additionally, the
disposal of yard waste into lake waters can compromise the aesthetic and recreation experiences
of downstream residences. Routine or chronic violators of this policy are subject to enforcementfees and/or suspension of shoreline permits." - Shoreline Management Plan - Appendix B
Ameren also points out that the decomposition of large amounts of leaf material leads to depleted oxygen levels, releasing sulfur dioxide into the air, which is where that rotten egg smell comes from down by the dam sometimes. Also, a layer of leaves on the water prevents sunlight from reaching microbes in the water that process sunlight into vital nutrients that feed aquatic plants. The microbes themselves are food for small fish.
Okay, so a lot of leaves in the lake is bad. So what do you do with them?
Some may feel that burning leaves is environmentally unfriendly, adding carbon to an already carbon saturated atmosphere, but leaves, and other organic material are already in the carbon cycle and do not contribute to the increasing atmospheric load. If you do burn your leaves, please make sure you do it where the ashes will not run off into the lake. Also, make sure you call your local fire district for burn conditions. If "conditions are not favorable" pay heed and do not burn or you might get a visit from some big red trucks.
If you still don't want to burn, you can shred the leaves with the right equipment and use it for mulch, but I don't recommend it, from a landscaping point of view. They can be used for compost as well, but honestly the amount of leaves is far too much for many property owners to handle. If you don't want to burn your leaves, than depending on how much you have to deal with, having them removed by a professional service is your best option. Just be sure they too are disposing it properly.