short creek dam northof Columbus toast

wow! a couple years ago we would go up there and hammer the blue gill  get um bigger than ur hand!

AR-15 Said:
I would say it's from all the runoff from the fertilized fields that feed into Shortcreek
Alot of the fields in the area were hailed out and all this rain we have it just makes
for to much fertilizer going into system, I hope they find the cause of it

Hey guys, it was a sad weekend at the creek over the 4th, the past few weekends the lake had been producing some nice eyes, and the bite was good.  Then we wake up Friday Morning to a 5.5# and a 2.5# walleye floating behind our boat and it was all down hill from there!

Fred Ryckman G&F Biologist was contacted Friday morning and showed up just after noon on Friday, we sent the fish we had found back with him for testing and he also took some dissolved o2 checks. For the most part he said the lake had no DO left except near the dam, which made sense because you could just see the cattails full of fish in this area.

Short Creek has always had a high nutrient level, which does take out the DO in the summer time. Fred had said that he figured it was from all the excess nutrients washed into the lake from the decaying material in the fields that had been hailed out etc. The water was a black in color and boy does it stink! The film on the water was visible and the water really foamed when you went thru it with your boat.

Do I think that some oil company stopped and dumped a load of salt water into the lake, NO. Short Creeks watershed begins at Beavers Lake, southwest of Lignite, this area is known in the oilfields as the Rival Acid gas field, perhaps we did get some contamination from the runoff from these wells but I dont think so. I believe it is from all the excess nutrients in the lake. The water is currently higher than anyone can ever remember and the run in is still flowing, it has slowed down some and has let the lake start to come down a little but its got a long way to go.

I look forward to seeing the test results from the water sampling and will post once I see them. The ND dept of health did a study for short creek that was completed in 2009 about the nutrient levels, nitro and phos levels etc.  and that report is available online:

http://www.ndhealth.gov/WQ/SW/Z2_TMDL/TMDLs_Completed/Final%20Short%20Creek%20Dam%20TMDL%20Report%2020080831.pdf

My next worries is that Northgate is going to experience the same excessive runoff and kill off that lake again, it still hasnt recovered from several years ago.

I guess I wont be doing much fishing there for the next couple of years, but I can still drink beer there!



 

All4eyes Said:
It just makes you wonder how some people operate.  is common sense a thing we only read about anymore?  When you say it is heading to Minot, how is it getting here?  Been out of town, and this is the first I have heard of this.

Interesting read.  So, the major issue is plant decay and over bearing runoff?  Bad deal for sure.

Tim Sandstrom Said:

Interesting read.  So, the major issue is plant decay and over bearing runoff?  Bad deal for sure.

shortcreekfisherman Said:

Hey guys, it was a sad weekend at the creek over the 4th, the past few weekends the lake had been producing some nice eyes, and the bite was good.  Then we wake up Friday Morning to a 5.5# and a 2.5# walleye floating behind our boat and it was all down hill from there!

Fred Ryckman G&F Biologist was contacted Friday morning and showed up just after noon on Friday, we sent the fish we had found back with him for testing and he also took some dissolved o2 checks. For the most part he said the lake had no DO left except near the dam, which made sense because you could just see the cattails full of fish in this area.

Short Creek has always had a high nutrient level, which does take out the DO in the summer time. Fred had said that he figured it was from all the excess nutrients washed into the lake from the decaying material in the fields that had been hailed out etc. The water was a black in color and boy does it stink! The film on the water was visible and the water really foamed when you went thru it with your boat.

Do I think that some oil company stopped and dumped a load of salt water into the lake, NO. Short Creeks watershed begins at Beavers Lake, southwest of Lignite, this area is known in the oilfields as the Rival Acid gas field, perhaps we did get some contamination from the runoff from these wells but I dont think so. I believe it is from all the excess nutrients in the lake. The water is currently higher than anyone can ever remember and the run in is still flowing, it has slowed down some and has let the lake start to come down a little but its got a long way to go.

I look forward to seeing the test results from the water sampling and will post once I see them. The ND dept of health did a study for short creek that was completed in 2009 about the nutrient levels, nitro and phos levels etc.  and that report is available online:

http://www.ndhealth.gov/WQ/SW/Z2_TMDL/TMDLs_Completed/Final%20Short%20Creek%20Dam%20TMDL%20Report%2020080831.pdf

My next worries is that Northgate is going to experience the same excessive runoff and kill off that lake again, it still hasnt recovered from several years ago.

I guess I wont be doing much fishing there for the next couple of years, but I can still drink beer there!



 

marksman Said:

shortcreekfisherman Said:

Hey guys, it was a sad weekend at the creek over the 4th, the past few weekends the lake had been producing some nice eyes, and the bite was good.  Then we wake up Friday Morning to a 5.5# and a 2.5# walleye floating behind our boat and it was all down hill from there!

Fred Ryckman G&F Biologist was contacted Friday morning and showed up just after noon on Friday, we sent the fish we had found back with him for testing and he also took some dissolved o2 checks. For the most part he said the lake had no DO left except near the dam, which made sense because you could just see the cattails full of fish in this area.

Short Creek has always had a high nutrient level, which does take out the DO in the summer time. Fred had said that he figured it was from all the excess nutrients washed into the lake from the decaying material in the fields that had been hailed out etc. The water was a black in color and boy does it stink! The film on the water was visible and the water really foamed when you went thru it with your boat.

Do I think that some oil company stopped and dumped a load of salt water into the lake, NO. Short Creeks watershed begins at Beavers Lake, southwest of Lignite, this area is known in the oilfields as the Rival Acid gas field, perhaps we did get some contamination from the runoff from these wells but I dont think so. I believe it is from all the excess nutrients in the lake. The water is currently higher than anyone can ever remember and the run in is still flowing, it has slowed down some and has let the lake start to come down a little but its got a long way to go.

I look forward to seeing the test results from the water sampling and will post once I see them. The ND dept of health did a study for short creek that was completed in 2009 about the nutrient levels, nitro and phos levels etc.  and that report is available online:

http://www.ndhealth.gov/WQ/SW/Z2_TMDL/TMDLs_Completed/Final%20Short%20Creek%20Dam%20TMDL%20Report%2020080831.pdf

My next worries is that Northgate is going to experience the same excessive runoff and kill off that lake again, it still hasnt recovered from several years ago.

I guess I wont be doing much fishing there for the next couple of years, but I can still drink beer there!



 

  How can you buy the BS.  turtles can walk out of the water and survive fish can't .
Wait for the tests and you will see oil related. Not farm related with the fertilizer BS.
If the farmer is to blame then why hasn't this happened in the past. Check Wyoming and you will find that 3 different oil related  companies paid damages from livestock
deaths due to contaminated water and the last one occured in 2006 when 36 sheep died from drinking water dumped in a road ditch  I don't buy the watershed theroy.

shortcreekfisherman Said:
We will wait and see, but all I can say is we have battled the low DO levels before during the summer from the excess nutrients, its always been a battle. I along with the other members of the Sportsmans Club out there are patiently waiting for the test results.

And for the record, I did not personally see any dead turtles there, it was interesting tho to see all the crawfish crawling outta the water and up the boat ramp! Also there were still people out tubbing and dogs out swimming and drinking the water and no one has gotten sick, so thats always good news.

No matter what attributed to the kill, oil companies, farmers or a other unknown source, I hope we can find a solution so this doesnt happen again!

And if it was Oil Related......oh boy can you imagine the new clubhouse we are gonna get along with everything else we need! Heck I might even get a new boat outta the deal too! Who knows a good lawyer!!!

www.bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/article_a87afba2-8f55-11df-8d6c-001cc4c002e0.html

COLUMBUS, N.D. (AP) - A state official investigating a large fish kill at a popular reservoir in northwest North Dakota has ruled out pesticides.

Mike Ell, environmental scientist with the state Health Department's water quality division, said the cause of the kill at Short Creek Reservoir still is not known but there are no detectable concentrations of pesticides in the water.