Invasive carp to be killed in Dell Creek

Tied to restoring lake delton’s fishery

LAKE DELTON – A two-foot drawdown of Mirror Lake, linked with the pending restoration of downstream Lake Delton’s fishery, will begin in mid-November, the Department of Natural Resources announced today.

Rotenone, a naturally occurring fish toxicant registered with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be used on the portion of Dell Creek flowing between the Mirror Lake Dam and the Lake Delton Dam to kill the remaining carp, said DNR fish biologist Tim Larson, Poynette.

“This step will improve the future fishery of Lake Delton when it refills,” he added.

The dam on upstream Mirror Lake will be lowered by two feet, shutting off flow from the lake and reducing the volume of water remaining in Dell Creek. This will lower treatment cost because less chemical will be needed and with the reduced water area the odds are increased towards achieving a total kill, according to Mr. Larson.

It’s estimated the drawdown will last about two to four weeks. Actual chemical treatment to Dell Creek, which flows from Mirror Lake downstream to Lake Delton, is planned for mid-December, weather permitting and pending completion of work on the Delton Dam and County Highway A.

A screen will be inserted in place of the removed dam boards to prevent fish in Mirror Lake from being flushed downstream. Signs will be posted in Mirror Lake State Park alerting visitors of the drawdown.

The $10,000 to $15,000 carp removal project is being funded by the Village of Lake Delton.
Heavy rain last June caused a catastrophic breech of 267-acre Lake Delton and total dewatering into the nearby Wisconsin River. The lake’s fishery was either flushed into the river or left stranded on the lake bed.

“The ideal situation for re-establishing Lake Delton’s fishery is to begin without any fish present and stock desirable species annually for several years until natural reproduction occurs in three to four years,” pointed out the DNR biologist.

Recommended stocking includes largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, black crappie, channel catfish, fathead minnow, white sucker and golden shiner. All of these species were previously present in Lake Delton.

News Release Published: November 3, 2008 by the South Central Region Contact(s): Tim Larson, DNR Fishery Biologist, Poynette: 608-635-8122