The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

This post submitted by Ed Furey of the Eagle Lake Management District:

The Lake Management Plan for Eagle Lake which was put on hold by the DNR last fall, due to concerns about spreading the VHS virus, is now back on track. Accordingly, the DNR has removed all bag and size limits for fishing on Eagle Lake this summer.

This is in preparation for “drawing down” the lake level in the fall to apply a fish toxicant, Rotenone, to kill off all the remaining fish in the lake. A balanced restocking program will begin in spring 2009. Only game fish will be stocked in 2009. Pan fish will be re-introduced in the following year along with more game fish.

This drastic action, called bio-manipulation, is necessary because of the gross imbalance in the current fish population. The lake is teeming with bluegills, mostly stunted, who eat something called Zooplankton, which in turn eats the algae which is found in most every lake. As a result, Eagle Lake has become clouded, turbid, by the unchecked algae blossoms. The DNR has determined  that nothing but the planned bio-manipulation of the fish population will restore the water quality and clarity of the lake.

Some people have suggested simply stocking more game fish to eat the stunted bluegills as an alternative. The DNR has actually tried this without success due to a variety of reasons. Others have suggested dredging the lake to make it deeper and, presumably, less prone to weed infestations. This strategy does not address the water quality issue which is due to the excessive algae caused by the absence of Zooplankton, which is the result of the imbalance of the fish population. You would likely end up with a deeper lake plagued with the same water quality/turbidity issues as exist today.

This will be the first time the DNR has killed off a lake to eliminate pan fish. Normally, lakes are killed off, as Eagle lake was 16 years ago, because they are infested with rough fish, namely carp and bullheads. There are no carp in Eagle Lake and bullheads have not been a problem. The DNR and the Eagle Lake Management District (ELMD) are confident that this comprehensive Lake Management Plan will result in a healthy lake with high water quality for decades. The DNR intends to use this plan as a model for other lakes through out Wisconsin.

In addition to correcting the imbalance in the fish population this comprehensive Lake Management Plan also addresses other causes of turbidity including the infiltration of silt and nutrients. To date, the ELMD, with the cooperation of the Dover Town Board, has revised a town ordinance that regulates the placement of buoys around the perimeter of the lake. The buoys are to be placed in water averaging depths of at least 5 feet. This creates a wider “No Wake“ zone to prevent boats with powerful outboard motors from disturbing the lake bottom, thus kicking up mud and silt. Similarly, the Lake District has curtailed the operation of its weed harvesters in shallow water. The plant management portion of the plan requires the encouragement of native plant growth, the “good weeds”. This is being accomplished through the limited use of registered, approved, herbicides on invasive weeds such as Eurasian Water Milfoil and Curly leaf Pondweed and the effective harvesting of all weeds to maintain navigational channels for boaters and fishermen. When they are not choked out by the invasive weeds, the native weeds have been making a comeback. Some of these “good weeds” will help to prevent turbidity caused by natural wind and wave action which stirs up the bottom.

The next phase of the Lake Management Plan requires the ELMD to work with the DNR, the county, local land owners and the Town of Dover to prevent unfiltered runoff from entering the lake. As a first step, the ELMD paid Racine County $7500 to update the Eagle Lake Watershed Study, which was completed last December.

The next step was to appoint one of our Commissioners, Brian Younger, as the Chairman of the Eagle Lake Watershed Management Task Force. This group will work with the principals mentioned above to find solutions to our watershed problems and recommend corrective actions. This will, no doubt, take time, perhaps years.

When completed, most of the silt and nutrients flowing into the lake will be eliminated and the lake should be able to maintain its depth and water quality for future generations. That would be the time for interested parties to determine the incremental value vs. cost of dredging select portions of the lake.