Canyon Lake Kill?

[HOGMASTER]

Ok boys & girls I have some work near Temecula coming up in Feb. I know DVL is on the list but Canyon was great last year! But my Cuz told me they had a bad Kill there? Do any of you know how bad it was? Would it be worth hitting? I herd alot of Shad and many of 8-10lbers were found floating? Oh yes Mission Veijo is also on the list.!!!

[NooB SaBass]

Ya I heared abou tha from a guy who goes there alot too...

[tenderloin]

Lake 'turnover' leads to fish kill in the Main Lake

By Sharon Rice
The Friday Flyer Editor

Several residents said last week’s fish kill on the Main Lake was the worst they had seen in all the years they have lived in Canyon Lake. Gary Grosenbach, a bass fisherman, and his wife Diane, were dismayed by the sight of at least 50 bass lying dead just under the surface of the water off their Main Lake seawall on Friday, October 30.
Dr. Julie Zimmerer said the stench was unbearable from the front yard of her San Joaquin Dr. West home, not to mention from her dock in Big Bass Cove, where floating fish of all types were so thick she and her husband could not see the surface of the water. Several people sent photos of millions of silvery threadfin shad blanketing up to 20 ft. of water off Sierra Park.

Fish kills are not an unusual phenomenon in Canyon Lake. In general they occur every spring and fall when the weather changes and the Lake experiences what is called a “turnover;” that is, the oxygen-depleted water at the bottom of the Lake moves to the top of the Lake and fish suddenly are unable to get the oxygen they need to survive.

This year’s turnover, however, has some residents searching their memory, certain they have never seen so many large, older fish involved in the die-off.

After pulling five very large bass out of the water in front of their home, one of them weighing more than 11 lbs., Gary and Diane took a tour of all the parks around the Main Lake. At Moonstone Beach, they spotted a 12-lb. catfish on shore, along with many more big fish lying under the water. They also saw croppy up to one pound.

“We’ve lived here 10 years and seen the regular turnover,” says Diane. It’s always the little shad that die, but the big, older fish usually survive.”

In fact, EMVWD board member Ben Wicke, a Canyon Lake resident who has lived on the Main Lake since the community’s early years, confirmed at Tuesday night’s POA Board meeting this was the worst fish kill ever observed in Canyon Lake.

So far, Operations Manager Paul Johnson and his crew have been too busy pulling dead fish from the shores of the Lake to comment on the severity of the event; however, Paul did forward a report from Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District Water Resources Manager Julius Ma stating, “the Lake has turned over – that explains the dead fish.”

Those who swim in the Lake know the surface temperature is always much warmer in the summer, with the water growing distinctly chillier the deeper one dives. That layering of warm and cold water is altered during a lake turnover, which is explained in a forum at www.catfish1.com as follows:

“The loss of dissolved oxygen in lake water during the summer months is generally associated with a process that is called thermal stratification. This phenomenon involves the development of temperature ‘layers’ in which the water near the surface is uniformly warm to a depth that varies throughout the summer.

“Under the surface layer there is a zone of transition in which the water temperature drops rapidly. From the transition zone to the bottom of the lake is the layer of water that is the coldest and most dense (heavy). During the summer months the coldest layer near the bottom is physically and chemically separated from the surface.

“The bottom sediments in biologically productive lakes are rich in organic matter that has accumulated over time (algae and other plankton and organic soil material). As this matter is degraded by microbes, oxygen is consumed from the overlying water. During the stratification period, there may be no opportunity for oxygen to be replenished. “Depending on the extent of the oxygen loss, coldwater fishery habitat may be reduced. Another possible result of oxygen depression or depletion is the potential release of biologically-available phosphorus from the bottom sediments.

“Dissolved oxygen (DO) is replenished during the fall, when short days and cool air temperatures cause the lake to de-stratify or ‘mix.’ This process is also referred to as ‘turning over.’ Most lakes turn over twice each year – once in the fall and again in the spring. The degree to which individual lakes experience thermal stratification depends on the depth and volume of the lake and the orientation of the lake basin to prevailing winds. Annual weather patterns and individual weather events strongly influence the degree and duration of thermal stratification.”

At www.fish.wa.gov, it’s once again pointed out that wind can be a factor in the turnover. In describing turnover at a particular lake in Washington, the site says, “in the beginning of the wet season, the surface waters heat up, causing the water column to stratify, with a layer of less dense, warmer water overlying a layer of more dense, colder water. The colder water is held in place because of the density stratification of the water column, and as biological material within the bottom waters degrades, oxygen is depleted from the deep layer. Lake turnover occurs between March and July (in Washington) when surface waters have cooled to the extent that only the slightest wind movement is sufficient to cause mixing. As the poor-quality water from the bottom rises to the surface, surface water quality is reduced . . . because the turnover occurs with little warning, it is difficult for the industry to prepare adequately.”

Readers may recall this area not only experienced a sudden drop in temperature the week before the fish kill, but high winds as well.

According to Julius Ma, district technicians did Hydrolab profiles at four locations on Thursday, October 29, after the fish kill first became apparent on Wednesday: one at the North Causeway, one on the Main Lake side of the Main Causeway, one on the East Bay side of the Main Causeway and one at the buoy line near the water treatment plant intakes (next to the dam).

At that time, it was noted at the North Causeway the Lake had completely turned over, with low dissolved oxygen (DO) from top to bottom and even temperature throughout. The water was reported to be extremely green, with dead fish seen on the shoreline.

In a shallow location on the Main Lake side of the Main Causeway, there was high DO, but uniform temperature throughout. It was windy and the water was reported to be brown in color with no dead fish seen in the area.

On the East Bay side of the Main Causeway, technicians reported low DO from top to bottom, even temperature throughout, brown water and dead fish seen in the area.

At the buoy line, technicians determined the lake had not yet turned over, the DO was low starting at 15 ft. below the surface, the temperature gradient was obvious and there were no dead fish in the area.

In conclusion, Ma reported last Thursday, “It is apparent the Main Lake turned over yesterday (Wednesday) and is migrating south. As of now, the southern area is still not affected – no dead fish in the area yet. But eventually the Lake will reach an equilibrium condition, with low DO everywhere for about a week or so.”

On Monday, Paul Johnson noted the East Bay seemed to be turning at a much slower rate. “Hopefully, we do not experience what we did on the Main Lake,” he says. He adds that he won’t know how many total tons of fish have been collected until he gets a final receipt from CR&R Waste Services, but at last report, Operations crews had collected (and CR&R had hauled away) more than 14 tons of dead fish last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Paul anticipated his crews would continue working through the end of this week.

Paul says he would like to thank CR&R for its assistance with providing dumpsters and daily pickups during this emergency. He also thanks EVMWD for providing a pontoon boat and a couple of workers to labor alongside the Operations crews. In addition, some residents called the Ops office to say they had picked up their shoreline and had cans on their docks for pickup by Operations.

According to Bassmaster Mike Wiley, members of the Bassmasters Club have been collecting several hundred bass that are still alive in the Main Lake, loading them into aerated live wells and transporting them to the East Bay. Involved in that effort were Shannon Perkins, Joey Gambino, Travis Smith, Jim Emmet, Paul Berton and Chris Valenzuela.

Includes pics

http://www.thefridayflyer.com/story_print_friendly.php?storyid=13071&storypath=./FF-2009-11-6/stories&imagepath=./FF-2009-11-6/images&edition=November%206,%202009&writer=By%20Sharon%20Rice&title=The%20Friday%20Flyer%20Editor&emailaddress=news@goldingpublications.com

[goodguy]

What idiot wrote this article?
"CROPPY"????? hahahahahaha

[DarkShadow]

You can always fish that secret pond in Temecula.

:-)

[NooB SaBass]

That "Secret Pond" Is tech in Murrieta mwhahahaha....:ROFL:

[HOGMASTER]

You can always fish that secret pond in Temecula.

:-)


Always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!