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Rain, temps contribute

According to statements made by Wisconsin Depart-ment of Natural Resources (DNR) officials, a pair of February rainfalls left the frozen ground covered by a significant amount of ice and snow. Then, on three days, Friday, March 4, to Sunday, March 6, at least two farmers near the lake applied liquid manure to the ground. During this time, temperatures were warming, which was causing snow and ice to melt. Then another rainfall occurred during the warmer temperatures.

"On Monday (March 7) I had a call from (an ice fisherman) who had seen some smaller dead fish," DNR fisheries biologist Dave Vetrano said. "On Tuesday (March 8) I had a call from the same person who said larger fish were showing up dead. We went down there on Wednesday (March 9) and took oxygen tests."

The news was bad, Tests showed the highest recorded level of dissolved oxygen in the water was 1 part per million. Warm water species of fish, such as the bluegills, crappies and bass in the lake, usually need at least 3 parts per million of oxygen. Visibility had reduced from 18 feet to less than a foot. Subsequent tests found coliform bacteria and E-coli bacteria. E-coli is found in the digestive system of cows.

Now, six weeks later, Vetrano is all but certain that the fish in the lake have been completely killed off. It is one of nine waterways in Wiscon-sin that had fish killed due to a manure runoff earlier this year, according to the DNR.

When it was tested on March 29, Vetrano said the lake was still emitting hydrogen sulfide into the headwaters of the Kickapoo River. He said that is a clear sign the oxygen level in the water is still very low.

While Vetrano said Jersey Valley had been tested in past winters and had some low oxygen levels, "we've never had to deal with this before."

A scarce resource at risk

While Vernon County borders the Mississippi River and has plenty of fishing re-sources, such as the Kickapoo River, there aren't many publicly available bodies of water. Jersey Valley Lake, which was created by the construction of a dam in the late 1960s, has both a boat ramp and a swimming beach. It's the site of family reunions and scouting trips.

Last week, following action by Vernon County's Land Conservation Committee, warning signs were posted at the lake saying it was contaminated by coliform bacteria. The signs said anyone choosing to swim in the lake would be posed with a health risk.

But there could be much more in store for the future of the lake than just a few signs.

Vernon County Conserva-tionist Jeff Hastings said discussions are underway about possibly draining the lake this summer. Hastings said draining the lake will allow any sediment to consolidate. It will also completely clear the lake of Eurasian water-milfoil, an invasive plant species that had infected the lake in recent years.

The lake had been drawn down by eight feet last fall in order to expose the milfoil and kill it in shallow areas. That had led to some speculation that the drawdown was a factor in the fish kill. Vetrano, however, said the amount of oxygen in the water was so low that the drawdown wasn't a factor.

Additional problems

The drawdown did show biologists that the lake's structure is leaking. Hastings said several springs downstream from the lake dried up after the drawdown. He said most likely there are fissures in the lake bed on the eastern side that are allowing lake water to seep downstream. It's a problem that's been a source of speculation for several years, Hastings said.

If the fissures are to be fixed, they could be filled with a grout to block off the flow of water. Vetrano said it's an easy solution, but it could cost up to $1 million.

"Lately there isn't much money around for something like that," Vetrano said.

Vetrano said hydrologists are still studying the problem, but it creates an entirely new set of options for the future of Jersey Valley Lake.

"Right now the scenarios run anywhere from having a dry structure, to reducing some of the lake level, to filling it back up again," Vetrano said. "It's very possible it will be run as a dry structure. This way it could be used for flood control, but it would be much more limited as a recreation resource."

Vetrano said there is also the possibility the lake could be filled again. In fact, the federal fish hatchery in Genoa has offered to provide bluegill and bass to help re-stock the lake.

Money to fill the fissures in the lake bed could come from federal sources, the Vernon County Board, learned. However, the county would still be responsible for paying 20 percent of the overall project.

Hahn told the county board that the DNR will most likely require the fissures to be fixed, because the springs that result from them directly affect 120 people who live downstream.

It could happen again

The main problem with spending time and money to fix the fissures and then bring the resource back is there are "no guarantees" it wouldn't happen again, Vetrano said.

None of the livestock operations in the watershed are large enough to require a DNR manure management plan, which specifies when and where they can spread manure, And while the names of two farmers kept coming up while Vetrano was making his inquires into the fish kill, manure run off from the entire watershed could have contributed. The lake is fed by runoff from the Kickapoo Watershed Project, which covers 12 square miles.

On Wednesday, the DNR, Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service (NRCS) and Land Conservation Departments from both Vernon and Monroe counties planned to meet with farmers and discuss the matter.

He hopes the meetings produce a "positive" dialogue about "our possibilities of preventing the same thing in the future."

Not trying to kill fish

Sue Beitlich of Stoddard, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, said the incident was unfortunate for the lake and the fish in it, but added that there are few groups more interested in the protection of the environment than farmers.

"Without getting into the particulars I can tell you for a lot of farmers there isn't cost sharing money available from governmental programs to help them improve their manure storage systems," Beitlich said. "There are a lot of barriers that farmers face. Some are barely getting by. We don't get a good price for our product.

"Farmers are all interested in doing things like storing manure and composting, but there isn't money available for those things on a lot of family farms," Beitlich continued. "I believe farmers are the best environmentalists around. When it boils down to it, we're at the mercy of the market."

Scott Mlsna of Cashton has been interested in the Jersey Valley Lake incident and has spoken out on the behalf of farmers.

"Farmers are already doing all they can to keep the nutrients on their farms," Mlsna said. "Nobody is trying to kill fish."

Mlsna added that manure spreading is a necessary part of operating a farm.

"What will happen if all farmers stop spreading manure on frozen ground?" Mlsna asked. "If every farm stores manure all winter they will all spread it in about a one-week period in the spring. What happens if we get six inches of rain after every farm has hauled?"

Beitlich said there has continually been efforts made to institute new rules regarding manure spreading.

"One thing we have to look at as producers is that not all of the efforts to establish new manure spreading regulations are bad," Beitlich said. "Sometimes they can be a good thing. And I say this without passing judgment on farmers, but we need laws to protect all of us. One thing that can hopefully happen is we can learn from this mistake and move on."

Any conclusions reached on Wednesday at the meeting between conservation officials and farmers will be reported to the county board and the land conservation committee.

Dorothy Jasperson and Tim Hundt contributed to this story.