Aeration Systems Now In Operation On Several Area Lakes As Ice Thickens
Aeration Systems Now In Operation On Several Area Lakes As Ice Thickens
January 04, 2022Steve Schwaller
(Orleans)– Aeration systems are once again in operation on some of the more shallow lakes in the area. Mike Hawkins, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the systems are up and running on Center Lake and Silver Lake in Dickinson county and Ingham Lake in Emmet county. He says they’re intended to keep areas of open water to help lessen the possibility of a winter fish kill on those lakes…
“Those are fairly rare events, but these aeration systems are meant to provide fish with a little bit of refuge near the surface if conditions do get very poor underneath the ice. And, you know, with low water conditions, less volume there, winter kill can be more likely. The other things that can cause winter kill that would be more likely are, you know, heavy snow cover, anything that blocks the light that gets into the lake, and an extended ice period, for example.”
Hawkins says the ice on area lakes for the most part has thickened substantially over the past week, but he says it is still somewhat variable…
“The lakes we were on where the aeration systems are running, we had around 12 inches of ice which was pretty surprising. The lakes have put on a lot of ice in the last week. That ice was in really good shape as well. The condition of the ice is nice and clear in those areas which means it’s a strong ice, and so pretty favorable. I would, you know, just caution folks though, the large lakes, especially West Okoboji, froze up later and so they will have some variable ice conditions. The bays may have good ice but the main lake may have thinner ice conditions there.”
Hawkins encourages those venturing out onto the ice to exercise caution. He says it’s a good idea to test the thickness as you go by drilling holes. Hawkins also recommends having ice picks and a flotation device with you. He adds the cold weather that’s in the forecast over the next 24 hours should add even more to the ice.
