Water Source eNewsletter October Edition

The Water Source October Issue from Ben Meadows

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October 2010

Hello everyone and thanks for opening The Water Source.

Fall is here and as much as I hate to think about it, cold winter weather is approaching. It won't be long before snow beings to fall and ice forms on the lakes here in Wisconsin, which is why I thought it would be fitting to get you in a winter mindset. In this issue of The Water Source we will discuss Winter Fish Kills.

As always, if you have any interesting stories or topics you come across, drop me an email at editor@benmeadows.com and maybe you'll see it on a future edition of The Water Source!

Brian
Ben Meadows Product Pro

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Winter Fish Kills

Dissolved oxygen can enter a lake through contact with air at its surface, photosynthesis in aquatic plants and by inflow of streams or springs. In turn, it is consumed by microorganisms through the decomposition of organic matter and also through respiration in fish and other organisms. These sources and processes create an equilibrium with a constant influx and efflux of oxygen, but when ice and snow cover a lake, this equilibrium can be disrupted.

Oxygen levels drop drastically because the access to air is cut off and the sunlight needed for photosynthesis is blocked. This happens every year in many lakes, but is typically not a problem as they are able to retain enough dissolved oxygen to sustain fish until spring. It is when certain conditions arise that oxygen levels become too low for fish to survive and “fish kills” occur. These conditions include:

Long and harsh winters are one of the main causes of fish kills. The longer the water is covered by ice and snow, the longer dissolved oxygen levels continue to drop if there are no or little sources for replenishment.
An increase in organic matter decomposition is another big player. If there is an increase in plant life during the summer, more oxygen will be used up by microorganisms during the decomposition process in the winter. Slope of the shoreline and depth of the lake can be good indicators that vegetation may be a problem. If the slope is gradual or if the lake is shallow, the littoral zone will typically be much larger, meaning greater plant mass.
Large aerobic organism populations, such as very high fish populations, can also be a contributor of low levels because of the amount of respiration taking place. This matters more in small lakes and ponds where the total amount of dissolved oxygen is limited due to the low volume of water.

There are many preventative measures that can help protect against dissolved oxygen levels from dropping too low, but one of the best methods is the use of an aerator. Aerators not only add dissolved oxygen through bubbles in the water, but they keep ice from forming at the surface. Any technique that opens the ice up and gets water moving will help. A good short term solution is running a pump or even an outboard motor in a hole in the ice for a few hours to push water on top of the ice. This aerates the water before it drains back through other predrilled holes.

If problems occur with too much decomposition of organic matter, limiting the summer vegetation growth will in turn limit the amount of decaying matter during the winter. This can be done through many different methods, but the use of aquatic herbicides is one of the easiest and most commonly used. If you're looking for a way to help increase photosynthesis, something as simple as shoveling the snow off of the ice can be effective in allowing more sunlight through, although this is only practical for smaller lakes and ponds.

Winter fish kills are rare and usually happen without warning. These kills usually go unnoticed until spring when the ice melts and the results become visible. The only easy way to avoid them is by taking preventative measures and by closely monitoring dissolved oxygen levels.

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Did You Know?

The maximum density of water occurs at 3.98° C (39.16° F).

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This Issue's Question
The LaMotte® Individual Test Kit for Dissolved Oxygen (item 54183) uses what type of test method? (Hint: check our 2010 Master Catalog or our eCatalog)

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