Our new website is up and the water quality information you see will be a bit different than before. There will be weekly sampling summaries posted on the Lake Data page that provides graphical trends of water quality data. Certain data we collect are available the same day, but nutrients, phytoplankton, and zooplankton data need to be analyzed by an outside laboratory, which can take a few weeks. Charts will be updated as data become available.
Longer form posts about specific water quality topics will be in this news section. They will be covering our dredge activities, carp exclosure installation, cyanobacteria monitoring, and other topics related to water quality and lake health.
Current weather conditions have moved to the website header, including air temperature, wind, water temperature, and lake level. The weather and water temperature data are from the weather station at the Lake Grove swim park, and lake level is from a sensor at our dam. We are using icons to depict conditions, which should be evident, but hover over the icon for an explanation. A more detailed list of current conditions is also presented in the Lake Data page.
Fish Exclosures
We will be installing fish exclosures this month to see how carp affect plant growth. We have selected 11 locations for the exclosures, with most of them shallow shoreline areas where plants have grown In the past. The image below shows the general locations, but don’t be concerned because the squares represented are not to scale and the units are only four feet square. In most cases they will be out of the way and deep enough to avoid being struck by boats, but we will mark them with buoys so you can avoid them.
The lake seems to be supporting more carp over the years and we have less plant life than previously. The carp we have are not the kind that eat plants, but they root around in the sediment for crustaceans, insects, and tender parts of plants. This takes a toll on our plant population as the new plant growth is uprooted during the feeding process. Carp will also eat fish eggs and smaller fish, while self-limiting this will also reduce the population of other fish species.
These exclosures are four feet on all sides, but in shallower areas we will cut down the height a bit so they are not visible above the water.
Our goal with this project is to try and measure the impact carp have on our plant population. If we have robust plant growth inside the exclosures it will tell use carp are the likely culprits. While the exclosures will keep out other fish species, carp and catfish are the primary bottom feeders and there are not very many catfish in the lake as compared to carp.
