Biologist Report - Environmental Committee

Greetings, Lake Vilbig Residents!

July 2023

This letter is to discuss our July 2023 management efforts. I came out once in July on the 26th. Overall, things look perfect. It’s July: at least the first part of June was nice. It isn’t so lovely outside currently.

On the 26th. The water temp was Hot, just hot. Like bathtub water hot. I measured water temps of 89 and 90 F all around the lake. Not enjoyable to be outside or in the water, for that matter. When water temps get this hot, we must watch for any stressors that could affect fish. Thankfully it has been a pretty constant hot without fluctuations of weather temps. This helps to stabilize the lake. We do have to pay attention to the weather. One bad thunderstorm can rapidly change water temps and cause some potential issues. pH was still high, at 8.5, and alkalinity was 140. The watercolor was green and olive green. Normal coloration for Irving Lake this time of year. I saw a lot of geese all over the place—more than the usual amount.

Other than that, everything looks great. I looked for vegetation in several areas and was unable to find any. I do want yall to consider managing some of the alligator weed. It seems to spread and relocate further from shore and in shallow areas where it wasn’t growing, especially around the fish bowl area.

Thanks, Vilbig Residents!

Chad Fikes

Fisheries Biologist