Water Level Compromise

[jimr]

I read in the Leader about the fish kill in the Eau Plain, and it said something about a compromise that helped this from happening in the Spirit, Rice, and Willow, flowages. does anyone have the details on this compromise, are they going to start regulating the lowering?

[Aquatic Arts Fishing Pro Shop]

I heard the kill was close to 90% Don't know if thats true or not. Have not heard much about the compromise yet but what I did here is the same as what you said about controling the levels, which would good!

[spiritman]

Some people from the lake association contacted the DNR and got the wheels turning to get WVIC to compromise on regulating the flow so that The Spirit and Nokomis would not be drained like Eau Pliene. It was actually stated that they were going to let the Spirit down to 17'. Lucky for many who enjoy fishing out there, Cathy Frisch from the Spirit assoc. got it done. Many thanks to those people who helped out in stopping the further drawdown. I'm not trying to throw blame anywhere, but I sure don't understand why the DNR lets these things happen. The fish kill on Eau Pleine is terrible. What a waste of years of conservation and stocking. I'm thankful we have not seen this yet.

[Aquatic Arts Fishing Pro Shop]

Thanks for the info.

Dave

[bunczak]

The fish kill on the Eau-Pleine has nothing to do with draw downs. In fact, the draw down helps flush the "dead zone" of oxygenless water out of the flowage quicker and reduces the kill. People don't like the draw downs and they blame the Eau-Pleine kill on them.

However, the main difference between the Eau-Pleine and the Spirit is the lack of agricultural and residential development in the watershed of the Spirit. The Eau-Pleine gets a nasty algea bloom every summer from all the runoff from farms, fields, lawns and septic tanks whereas the Spirit has very little of this.

If you want to learn more, the Wausau Daily Herald did a nice series of articles about this, you should be able to find them online.

Don't expect any reduction in the drawdowns on water storage flowages anytime soon, unless we start getting a LOT more rain. The only reason these flowage exist at all is to be storage for the power generating dams downstream.

[Babe]

The main reason for the fish kill on the Eau Pleine IS due to the low water levels period. The DNR would like everyone to believe that the fish kill had to do with agricultural runoff and a poorly operating areation system, but my guess is that the DNR will come up with any reason, just to pass the blame on someone else.

Thank God, that those people from the Spirit Reservoir (specifically Cathy Frisch) and the LNCC got involved last fall just before the Spirit and Lake Nokomis froze. I know that when these two organizations got in the ear of the DNR last fall, the DNR's first reaction was that they didn't even know that there was a problem with the low water levels! Hard to imagine, but true.

We all need to pray for adequate rain this year. If we have another drought this summer/fall, maybe the DNR will pay closer attention and take action so that this doesn't happen to another one of our lakes.

[Spike-A-Pike]

I had also read that the fish kill on the Eau-Pleine was caused by an airator failure and lowered oxogen levels. But it seems like water level may have been part of the reason the airator failed. Either way, more water in the river and lake systems would improve the fishing and save a few props and skags in the prossess.