Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Rss
info@plslwd.org
952-447-4166
  • Home
  • About 
    • District Overview
    • District Background
    • Meetings
      • Meetings
      • Board Meeting Materials, Meeting Minutes & Video Recordings
      • Citizen Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • District Plans & Reports
    • MS4 Application & SWPPP
    • District Press
    • Maps
    • Partners
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Waterbodies
    • Arctic Lake
    • Buck Lake
    • Cates Lake
    • Crystal Lake
    • Fish Lake
    • Haas Lake
    • Jeffers Pond
    • Pike Lake
    • Prior Lake, Lower
    • Prior Lake, Upper
    • Prior Lake Outlet Channel
      • Prior Lake Outlet Channel (PLOC)
      • Outlet Structure
      • FEMA Repairs
      • Prior Lake Outlet System Reports
    • Rice Lake
    • Spring Lake
    • Sutton Lake
    • Swamp Lake
  • Projects and Programs 
    • Projects
      • Alum Treatments
      • Carp Management
        • Carp Management
        • Carp Removal UPDATES
        • Carp Volunteer Opportunities
      • Ferric Chloride Treatment Facility
      • Fish Lake Shoreline & Prairie Restoration Project
      • CR 12/17 Wetland Restoration
      • Lower Prior Lake Protection Projects
        • Fish Point Park Retrofits
        • Sand Point Beach Park Project
        • Indian Ridge Water Quality Improvement
        • Watzl’s Beach Shoreline Restoration
      • Raymond Park Restoration Project
      • Spring Lake Shoreline Restoration
      • Sutton Lake Stormwater Storage Project
    • Monitoring
      • Stream Monitoring
      • Lake Monitoring
      • Precipitation
    • Rules and Permitting
    • 2020 Water Resources Management Plan
  • News & Events
  • Learn More
    • Home and Yard
    • Shoreline
    • Boating
    • Ponds & Wetlands
    • Agriculture
    • Fact Sheets
  • Get Involved!
    • 50th Anniversary of the District
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC)
    • Farmer-Led Council (FLC)
      • Farmer-Led Council Events
      • FLC Cost-Share Opportunities
      • Cover Crop Initiative
      • Lake-Friendly Farm Program
    • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Volunteer Events
      • Monitoring Opportunities
      • Carp Volunteer Opportunities
    • Cost Share – Fund Your Project
    • Training & Workshops
  • Contact
    • Board Members
    • Staff
Search our website...

Posts tagged "fish die-off"

Winter Fish Kills in Local Lakes

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - March 24, 2021 - News

Winter fish die-off, or winterkill, is a natural process that happens from time to time in our area. This year the watershed and the City of Prior Lake have received reports of winterkill at Pike Lake, Crystal Lake, and Jeffers Pond (see photo).

Winterkill can happen when there are low oxygen levels in the water caused by factors such as:

  • Early snow and ice
  • Snow on the ice reduces sunlight, stopping plants from producing oxygen
  • Shallow water levels
  • Fish using up the available oxygen

After a winterkill event, residents can expect dead fish washing up on shore, foul odor due to decomposition, and an increase in scavenging animals. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommends either leaving the fish to decompose naturally or removing and burying them.

There are some benefits to winterkill, including the removal of invasive species such as carp. Lakes that experience a complete winterkill, such as Pike Lake this winter, receive a fresh start for their fish populations and may see an increase in water quality due the absence of carp.

The Minnesota DNR tracks winterkill; to report a fish die-off, call the DNR at 651-649-5451. More information can be found on the DNR website:  https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fisheries/fishkills.html

This article was first published on the City of Prior Lake’s website here.

View Full Article fish, fish die-off, fish dieoff, fish kills, winter kills

Deep snow and cold winters increase instances of fish kills

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - May 10, 2018 - News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

MN DNR Press Release:

Cold winters with abundant snowfall can lead to fish die-offs and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has already taken reports of this process, known as winterkill, occurring in lakes near Brainerd, Hinckley and the Twin Cities area.

“While seeing lots of dead fish can be disconcerting, we remind people that winterkill is normal and happens every year to some extent,” said Neil Vanderbosch, DNR fisheries program consultant.

Once a lake is capped with ice, the amount of dissolved oxygen present in a lake depends on how much oxygen is produced by aquatic plants. Winterkill occurs when snow and ice limit the amount of sunlight reaching aquatic plants.

Without adequate sunlight, the plants produce less oxygen. If the vegetation dies from lack of sunlight, the plants start to decompose, a process that further depletes oxygen dissolved in the water.

Trout species require high dissolved oxygen levels and may begin dying off when a lake’s dissolved oxygen falls below 5 parts per million (ppm). Bluegill and largemouth bass are also sensitive to low oxygen levels. Walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, carp and crappie can tolerate dissolved oxygen levels as low as 2 ppm.

Winterkill rarely results in the death of all fish in a lake, but lakes with frequent winterkill events tend to be dominated by bullheads.

Winterkill can have some benefits. In lakes with overabundant panfish, occasional winterkill can increase growth rates of the fish that survive. Winterkill can also greatly reduce carp abundance, which leads to increased water quality and more successful stocking efforts.

People who see numerous dead fish after the ice melts should report their observations to the State Duty Officer at 800-422-0798.

View Full Article dead fish, fish die-off, fish kills, winter kill

Fish Die-offs

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - June 3, 2016 - News

Shortly after Memorial Day, watershed residents often begin to observe fish die-offs in local lakes.  This was a common sighting in the lakes around Scott County during late spring/early summer in previous years.  In 2014, testing confirmed that columnaris bacteria was the cause of the die-offs in Carls (McMahon) and Cedar Lakes, and it is suspected that this bacteria was also the likely cause of the die-offs seen in lakes around the area.

As we approach the same season this year, it is important to keep in mind that the die-offs caused by Columnaris disease are a natural occurrence and only affect a small percentage of the fish populations in our lakes.  There is no known cure, but is believed to have little effect on the long-term health of fish populations.

View Full Article →

View Full Article columnaris, fish, fish die-off

News & Events

  • Ongoing Projects
    • Fish Point Park Retrofits
    • Highway 13 Ferric Chloride
    • Monitoring
    • CR 12/17 Wetland Restoration
    • Carp Management
      • Where are the carp?
    • Flood Study
    • Indian Ridge Park Water Quality Project
    • Spring Lake Shoreline Restoration
  • Completed Projects
    • Arctic Lake Subwatershed Analysis
    • Lower Prior Diagnostic Study
    • Spring Lake Alum Treatment
  • News
  • Flooding Updates
  • Prior Lake
  • Spring Lake

News Archives

Prior Lake – Spring Lake Watershed District

The District covers about 42 square miles in Scott County, MN. Water in the PLSLWD flows mainly from the southwest to the northeast through Spring, Upper Prior and Lower Prior Lakes, and then north through the Prior Lake Outlet Channel to the Minnesota River near Valley Fair amusement park.
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment

Prior Lake - Spring Lake Watershed District
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

Phone: (952) 447-4166
Email: info@plslwd.org

PLSLWD on FacebookPLSLWD on Twitter

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About Us
  • News & Events
  • FAQ
  • Waterbodies
  • Prior Lake Outlet Channel (PLOC)
  • Projects and Programs
  • Contact Us
(c) 2018 Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District, All Rights Reserved. Minneapolis web design by Iceberg.