Tragedy continues and one hopes it works this time.
10/24/07
Diana Jorgenson
Portola Editor
Now that the poisoning of Lake Davis has been completed, Pike Steering Committee members found themselves bringing a new set of questions to agency representatives at their most recent meeting Oct. 15.
First among them, committee and community members wanted to know when people would be allowed back into the Lake Davis area. The full forest closure is still in effect and will be lifted in stages according to data obtained in the water monitoring reports.
When the streams and tributaries receive one "non-detect" report of chemical residuals, the upper watershed region will be re-opened to the public.
The lake will remain closed, however, until three such reports occur. Since the water is sampled every two weeks, the Department of Fish and Game has maintained that the lake would remain closed for a minimum of 45 days.
Chemicals found in the water, as is currently the situation, would prolong the closure until the requisite three "clear" water samplings are in hand.
Pike Committee member Bill Powers addressed another community concern regarding water temperature and whether the water was too cold for the chemical to be effective.
Ed Pert, DFG project director, replied that even now the lake water was 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which was warmer than the temperatures at the time of treatment in 1997.
At the time of the current poisoning Sept. 25, the temperature was warmer than it is currently and well within the effective range of CFT-Legumine.
Pert also reported that the lake had turned over two-three days before the treatment so that temperature and oxygen levels were evenly distributed throughout the lake.
Most of the other questions the committee members brought to the table on behalf of the community regarded fish, fish and more fish.
The electro-shocking currently underway at Lake Davis is finding bullheads still alive: what does this mean? Will there be ice fishing? Does the small percentage of pike mean that there weren't many in there? When will restocking begin?
Pert reported that the fish cleanup was complete, with a total of 48,000 pounds of fish carted off to a Nevada landfill. Additional fish were left for local wildlife.
He went on to say that beyond the preliminary report of fish species sampling already reported in the newspaper, the final numbers were still untabulated.
