Lake loss…
2 years ago | 378 views | 2 2 comments | 1 1 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Grand Water Sewer Service Agency has received permission from the Bureau of Land Management to use the conservation pool in Ken’s Lake for irrigation. The conservation pool is necessary to preserve the aquatic life in the lake during periods of drought. GWSSA has usually left the conservation pond for the preservation of the fishery during prior droughts.

The mature fishery in the lake will be lost if the water temperature increases and the oxygen content of the lake decreases to a critical level. The first fish to die will be the trout followed by the bass and sunfish. I have not been able to find a state law that requires GWSSA to remove the dead fish. The lake will probably be unusable by swimmers and other users until sometime next year.

The DWR spends $10,000 to $12,000 each year to stock the lake with catchable fish. The DWR will not prevent the destruction of the fishery and will probably allow a special fishing season to remove the trout. The trout in the lake will probably be poor eating due to the high temperature of the water.

The value of the fishery and recreation use of Ken’s Lake should be more than the value of the additional alfalfa that the water will produce. Ken’s Lake has less than 50 water users and thousands of recreational users.

The BLM should never have permitted the use of the conservation pool for irrigation. GWSSA hopefully will realize that the recreational value of the lake needs to be preserved.

—William Love

Moab
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