Biologist Report June 30, 2021
Greetings, Lake Vilbig Residents!
This letter is to discuss our June 2021 management efforts. I came out once in June, on the 9th and 23rd.
On the 9th water, temp was 84 F. It is basically summer at this point, but we have been fortunate with below-average temperatures and above-average rainfall. Alkalinity was 120, which is right around where it should be. My pH reading was still a little high 8.0 was what my meter showed as pH.
Fish Bowl had a very marginal amount of chara. The split (what I call the area between the main lake and the southwest corner) had no vegetation. Not much vegetation on the north end didn’t find any on the volleyball court. All this is fabulous news. Visibility was 30 inches, about what it was in May. Still a lot of plankton growth. Water is very fertile. This is a good thing as it helps to shade out deeper water, helping to manage excess vegetation growth. Things were a bit different on the 23rd. Not bad, but we are starting to get some chara growth in some shallow areas. There was a marginal amount on the volleyball pit, a pretty good amount starting to grow in the canal between the southwest and main body of the lake, and some starting to rear up in the western area of the fishbowl. There is a fine line between just enough and too much chara so that I will keep an eye on it, but I may spray some of it in July to keep it in check. I don’t want it exploding, and I want people to access Lake from their boat docks. The Water temp was 86 F, so it is rising. Alkalinity was 130. Visibility was 33 inches. pH was still high. 8.2.
I have also noticed some new species of ducks on the lake and fewer of the Muscovy ducks. Something I will continue to monitor. We have to be careful when introducing a new species to a lake ecosystem. Sometimes one little change can have consequences.
Thanks, Vilbig Residents!
Chad Fikes
Fisheries biologist
