Im no W.B expert, but I heard the bubble only comes on at certain times. I heard that it could go a year or two without being on and that the water pumped into Branch was from Gaston??? I dont know for sure, I wish they turn it on though...:D
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Im no W.B expert, but I heard the bubble only comes on at certain times. I heard that it could go a year or two without being on and that the water pumped into Branch was from Gaston??? I dont know for sure, I wish they turn it on though...:D
The aerators are only in the deepest water on the lake. None of them are near shallow water. There's only around 14 of them.
Yes Corker, but the aerators are only in the lower section of the lake. They aerate the water before it gets to the pumphouse at the main dam.
Under, according to their website, the lake Gaston water is "On", at 7.5MGD average, but there's not a lot of water coming over the Prince dam. They have a pump station on Prince too, so maybe they're withdrawing the Gaston water before it gets to overflow. I really don't know. I read somewhere, but now can't find it again, that the Lake Prince dam was next in line for repair, after the Burnt Mills dam is finished. Maybe they're getting ready to draw Prince down?
I DO know that when I fish for 7 hours and don't get even ONE BITE on a nightcrawler........really unusual. I'm sure somebody who fishes there more frequently, has had the opportunity to "follow the fish", and put some good catches in the boat.
That's just not me.
you sure got a lot of time on your hands, I'm lucky to get post put up
Has anyone tried the aerators? If the fishing is improved around them then the O2 levels could be the problem.
I sure hope not. It's been 2 years and 7 months since Burnt Mills closed down. I'm not sure that I understand how it takes this long to repair a dam and pump station. Must be government contractors.Quote:
Originally Posted by ShellQuacker
Most the aerators are in water around 30' deep. Not an area I would look for crappie this time of year. However I have caught crappie near them during other times of the year.Quote:
Originally Posted by NavyAngler
Let me see if I can address all of the issues that you all have mentioned in this thread.
I'll start with the algae. This algae grows on the bottom of the lake and as it produces oxygen it forms enough bubbles that it floats to the surface. It first started in Lake Prince in the area around the old wood bridge. It has traveled through parts of the lake over the past few years and over into WB. There is also some around the WB boat ramp, which may indicate that some of it may have been caught on trailers and fell off into the lake. We will be treating it this summer in an attempt to bring it under control. It's hard to control since it grows on the bottom of the lake. Oh, and the presence of algae does not mean the lake isn't healthy. If we had no algae I would be more concerned.
Aerators or bubbler system. The aerators (17 in WB, 10 in LP) pump air into the bottom the lake like a big aquarium aerator and take care of some issues related to our treating the water at the treatment plants. The aerators generally run from March through mid-October and have been running for about a month. We have been running them this way since they were installed and have worked great. The air lines are a constant problem, as you know, because they tend to float. We attach concrete blocks to the lines as anchors, but have an ongoing problem with them breaking loose. As you may remember, I asked that you only use mushroom anchors in these areas so that you don't accidentally snag an airline.
Lake Gaston - Lake Gaston empties into Lake Prince (Ennis Creek) on the other side of Rt 460 next to the railroad. The "On" condition at 7.5 MGD is the minimum flow needed to keep the pipe full of water so the water doesn't go bad sitting in the pipe. We don't want VB pumping more water into the lake if it's going to spill into the Nansemond River. I expect the flow will increase as the elevation of WB goes down.
Lake Prince and Burnt Mills - no we are not getting ready to lower LP. We take water from LP every day, but more from WB. Lake Prince dam is in good condition and doesn't need any work. WB is next in line, but has been delayed due to budget concerns. Burnt Mills has taken longer than originally planned due to asking the contractor to do additional work and some complications with drilling a new pipeline under the dam. We thought it would be a good idea to go carefully so we didn't create a bigger problem when we put the pipe in. The contractor still has to construct the new intake tower, knock down the old one and redo the boat ramp. I think you all will like the new boat ramp and parking area when we're done. Unfortunately, it will be mid to late summer before the contractor is out of the way.
I hope this answered everything.
David
Great info David, thanks for taking the time to explain.
Thanks David. Good info.....cept the part about Western Branch being next......