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Entergy drawing water out of Lake Conroe to improve fish habitat

     SJRA LAKE BED GUIDELINES

The recent drought has exposed many acres of lake bed resulting in the growth of terrestrial vegetation and the uncovering of debris that had previously settled on the bottom of the lake. When the lake refills, this vegetation and debris will provide valuable habitat for fish and other aquatic species, and the vegetation also helps stabilize sediments and improve water quality; however, while the lake is down, some vegetation and debris can cause nuisance problems.

To assist property owners and other lake users in determining the best means for managing vegetation or debris in the exposed lake bed of Lake Conroe, the SJRA has developed the following guidelines:

VEGETATION

The SJRA encourages businesses, community associations, and other lakefront property owners to not interfere with the growth of grasses and other terrestrial vegetation in the lake bed.

In cases where vegetation is creating a nuisance, lakefront property owners are allowed to mitigate the nuisance in and around their immediate dock area but are encouraged to use the most limited means possible, such as trimming off the tops of tall weeds.

Application of non-restricted use herbicides is only allowed with prior approval of the SJRA and only in areas that are completely above the influence of the waterline and immediately surrounding a property owner’s dock.

Widespread mowing of lake bed areas (i.e. not directly in front of a landowner’s tract) is not allowed unless specifically authorized by the SJRA.

DEBRIS

The SJRA encourages individuals to leave non-hazardous, inert debris in place in the lake bed to provide fish habitat. This can include items such as tires, concrete blocks, submerged logs, and other bulky items.

Non-hazardous, inert debris that has become exposed due to falling lake levels can be moved into deeper water provided it can be done so safely and to a location that will not create a hazard to navigation.

Trash and other non-desirable debris can be collected and placed in the SJRA’s lake debris Dumpster located at the west end of the Lake Conroe dam. This may include bottles, cans, and other trash.

No hazardous materials may be placed in the SJRA lake debris dumpster. Items such as paints, pesticides, electronics, batteries, used oil and filters, antifreeze, and other hazardous materials should be disposed of properly at an authorized facility.

Recently, residents in Montgomery County clamored for a second water source to complement Lake Conroe. And one exists, but the purpose of the Lewis Creek Reservoir is decidedly different.

Constructed in 1967, the Lewis reservoir wasn’t built to serve as a surface water storehouse. Nor was it designed to attract boating enthusiasts. In fact, the reservoir covers only 1.38 square miles of land between FM 1097 and Longstreet Road, west of Willis.

Instead, the reservoir’s role is to meet the electrical needs of Entergy Texas’ approximate 270,000 customers in the Montgomery. That is why when it comes to water, the Lewis Creek Reservoir takes precedent over its bigger brother, said Entergy spokeswoman Jill Smith.

The reservoir has a capacity of 16,400 acre feet of water – well below the 300,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Conroe. But the drought of 2011 has Entergy pumping water out of Lake Conroe and into Lewis Creek Reservoir.

The Beaumont-based utility company needs the extra water to make certain Entergy Texas can operate its two natural gas-fueled turbines.

“We have to maintain a level of operating capability,” Smith said.

Entergy Texas isn’t the only group shipping water out of Lake Conroe. Since mid-June, the SJRA has released 150 million gallons of water daily into Lake Houston. The release is part of an agreement between the SJRA and the city of Houston.

Entergy pays the San Jacinto River Authority 20 cents for each 1,000 gallons it uses to drive the turbines. Twenty-nine cents is SJRA’s standard raw water rate – effluent water is used by a number of golf courses – but Entergy gets a price break for treating its own wastewater, SJRA Deputy General Manager Jace Houston said.

“What Entergy is doing – pumping that wastewater – is pretty common,” he said “They don’t do this every day unless it’s needed.”

Entergy is restricted by contract to pump no more than seven million gallons into the Lewis Creek Reservoir each day. The withdrawal from Lake Conroe is “insignificant,” said Blake Kellum, SJRA Lake Conroe Division manager. Howard Roden

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$2M in Lake Michigan projects for Fish Habitat viewed as job growth

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Christopher Meyers, Director of Planning for City of Gary, (left) and Joel Baldwin, project manager with Hitchcock Design Group, talk about the dredging work at the Marquette Lagoon that will soon begin following a press conference at Marquette Park in the Miller section of Gary, Ind. Friday October 7, 2011. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media

At a glance

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The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative action plan, developed by the EPA with 15 other federal agencies in 2010, calls for aggressive efforts to address five priorities:

Clean up toxics and areas of concern

Combat invasive species

Promote near-shore health by protecting watersheds from polluted run-off

Restore wetlands and other habitats

Track progress, education and work with strategic partners

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GARY — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Friday announced a $1 million grant from its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to the Regional Development Authority for a job-creating dredging project of the Marquette Park lagoon.

The EPA also awarded $994,350 to the U.S. Geological Survey to expand fish and bird monitoring along the Great Lakes’ beaches to fight botulism and other contaminants damaging wildlife. About 20 percent of that money, and 20 jobs, will come to Gary next year.

Just a few yards away from the Lake Michigan’s southern shore, in a serene part of the massive park, dignitaries gathered beneath shade trees to hear of the awards and what they will mean for the area.

Meanwhile, workers with heavy machinery continued the $28 million, RDA-funded facelift of the park nearby, including the popular Marquette Park Pavilion.

The grant to the RDA will go toward dredging the lagoon and using the soil to firm up the lagoon’s shoreline, said Cameron Davis, EPA senior adviser on the Great Lakes. Erosion and other natural forces have pounded the lagoon.

“It’s an area of concern that needs most of our help,” Davis said, adding the project will improve fish and wildlife habitats around the lagoon.

To get the money the RDA and its contractor, Ohio-based Los Alamos Technical Associates, had to agree to hire up to 20 unemployed residents to do the work. The work will include dredging soil from the bottom of the lagoon to expand the fish habitat and relocating that soil to the shoreline and other areas.

The U.S. Geological Survey also had to agree to hire 20 local employees to land its share of the federal money. The work will include collecting different animal species, including carcasses, to determine if botulism was the cause of the deaths.

“This $1 million is our tax dollars being put to good use,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville. “This is an example of how our tax money can be wisely spent and put to use to put citizens to work.”

Christopher Meyers, Gary’s planning director, said the city would work closely with Los Alamos to ensure the company hires locally.

“There is the great environmental benefit, but, ultimately, it’s about creating jobs and helping the local economy,” Meyers said.Michael Gonzalez

Chapman Mills Conservation Area, good for the ecosystem

Two acres of newly created fish habitat at the Chapman Mills Conservation Area is up and fully operating as of late summer.

A channel was cut through to connect an existing backwater bay of the Rideau to the main channel. A separate shallow embayment was created featuring a picturesque and important habitat island adjacent to the main river. Final landscaping and cleanup was done over the summer and new interpretive signs have now been installed to explain the kinds of fish and aquatic animals people will see in the area.  See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

This new habitat project is expected to: improve water circulation through the connecting channel, create variable depths of water allowing more diverse aquatic vegetation, create spawning, nursery, rearing and food supply habitat for fish, provide new winter and summer refuge areas for fish, and improve the function of adjacent wetlands for aquatic species.

A five-year monitoring program is in place to measure habitat use by native fish species. The spring and fall surveys will also check on habitat integrity, makeup of the aquatic community and quality of the water with recommendations on how to improve any shortfalls in performance.

Steve Desroches, Ottawa Councillor for Gloucester-South Nepean and a Director of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, said “The city is proud of the partnership and cooperation that has gone into this project. All of the players – public and private alike – are to be congratulated on a good community-spirited job at Chapman Mills. It’s good for the river, it’s good for my community and it’s good news for Ottawa kids.”

This very welcome increase in the stock of fish habitat on the lower Rideau is in compensation for the partial loss of fish habitat on a tributary of the Jock River and another loss on Mosquito Creek.

Fish Structure Cover & Weeds

The Underwater World of Freshwater Fish

Underwater World of Freshwater Fish
Man made fish cribs are definitely worthwhile to fish providing cover and shelter for juvenile panfish and baitfish, Most cribs are built Continue reading “Fish Structure Cover & Weeds”

Ohio Division of Wildlife sinks some spools to create fish attractors

Sinking Spools for Shoreline Succes

Division’s work aims to help shore anglers

CORTLAND, OH- Northeast Ohio has some excellent fishing available to anglers, but some of the better fishing lakes are sometimes the larger lakes. For anglers without a boat, this presents a problem since some of the best fishing spots are not accessible or are heavily pressured. So where is an angler supposed to go if they want to fill their stringers without launching a boat?
            Spool being placed at Mosquito ReservoirThis past week, the Ohio Division of Wildlife placed fish attractors in a popular shore fishing spot atMosquito Reservoir (Trumbull County). “From ice out to ice up, there’s always someone fishing along that stretch of shoreline. We hope our work will improve the fishing along there,” said Matt Wolfe, Fisheries Biologist, who oversees this project for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Plastic spools weighed down with stone were placed near the rip-rap break wall outside of the State Park Boat launch on the south side of the lake. Spools were placed along the outside and inside edges of both the Northern and Southern sections of the break wall. In total, 50 spools were placed in anywhere from seven to 14-feet of water. More importantly though, “the spools were placed within easy casting distance for anglers who fish this area,” added Wolfe.
            The goal of this project is to introduce these fish attractors into the waters of Northeastern Ohio to recruit the next generation of anglers and retain the anglers who already enjoy the sport of fishing. A downloadable Google Earth file containing all of the structure placements throughout Northeast Ohio is available by contacting the Wildlife District Three office at (330) 644-2293.Written by: ODNR Division of Wildlife.
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Drink a beer, help fish in Bear Creek

http://www.outtherecolorado.com/Wildlife-nature/Drink-a-beer-help-fish-in-Bear-Creek.html#ixzz1YdCghX7s

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The “tree army” installs wooden spawn boxes for fish

The US Army Corps of Engineers will host National Public Lands Day events at various lakes throughout the Pittsburgh District. In 2010, more than 500 volunteers came to 15 of 16 Pittsburgh District recreation projects and provided 2,179 hours of work valued at nearly $47,000. National Public Lands Day keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the “tree army” that worked from 1933-1942 to preserve and protect America’s natural heritage.

A local event at Mahoning Creek Lake will be held Sept. 24. This year the goal is to accomplish the building and placement of some fish habitat spawning boxes in the lake. If time permits, shore line clean-up will be done. Volunteers are asked to meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Milton Loop Campground pavilion, on Route 839, two miles north of Dayton.

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The project will be to build wooden spawn boxes and then taking them by boat to place them in the lake. Event will take place rain or shine. Questions may be directed to Park Ranger Grover Pegg 412-719-9227.

Arizona fish habitat video for Apache lake

See what work is being done on a large scale in Arizona in the name of fish habitat.

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Bulding Fish Habitat

Fish Habitat Project Starts on the Ashtabula River

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Restoration of Ashtabula River “Area of Concern” is entering a new phase as work begins on a major fish habitat improvement project along the banks of the slip. The work is made possible through a $1.5 million grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is coordinating a federal, state and local effort to develop 1,500 feet of fish shelf in the lower two miles of the river, an area best known for its hard-armored and sheet-piled riverbanks. The project will provide northern pike, muskellunge and other native fish species a shallow water habitat necessary for foraging and spawning. “We are nearly tripling the Continue reading “Fish Habitat Project Starts on the Ashtabula River”

Missouri Department of Conservation Fish study could help future anglers

 

test4Francis Skalicky, Missouri Department of Conservation

Francis Skalicky, Missouri Department of Conservation

Fish gotta’ swim…

Long before that became a memorable song lyric in the popular musical “Showboat,” it was a well-known fundamental of a fish’s life cycle. Continue reading “Missouri Department of Conservation Fish study could help future anglers”

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