MDC tries to clean up Jackson's big muddy

Rotary Lake in Jackson's City Park resembled the muddy Mississippi River Wednesday morning.

"Usually this lake is really clear," said Christopher Kennedy, a fisheries expert with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Kennedy and conservationist Jake Hindman spent the day in a motorboat dumping 9,600 pounds of an agricultural compound into the murky lake, hoping to clear it up.

A heavy rain in November washed clay sediment from a nearby construction site into the lake, said Kennedy. "The construction site was not seeded and there was no detention basin. So that mud washed right into the lake and it just didn't settle."

Jackson resident and avid trout fisherman, Lee Roderick, said he noticed the muddy lake in November.

"I drove by it and thought, 'Oh my goodness,'" he said. "I've looked at it several times since and it cleared up a little bit, but I haven't tried to go fishing. Trout don't like the muddy water; they are a clearwater fish."

Kennedy explained the type of clay sediment that washed in Rotary Lake is not settling due to its negative ionic charge. The clay particles are repelling each other, causing them to suspend in the water. To clear the water, the agricultural compound gypsum was poured into the lake. Gypsum is typically used to clear muddy lakes, Kennedy said.

"The gypsum will not affect the trout at all," he said. "And the water quality isn't hurting the trout."

However, the current water conditions will affect the success rate of anglers trying to catch the fish.

"Trout use their eyes to find food," Kennedy explained. "So this muddy water can't help any as far as the fishing is concerned."

By February 1, the first day for Jackson's catch-and-keep trout season, the lake water shouldn't be as muddy.

"I'm hoping by mid-February it will be a good-looking lake again," Kennedy said.

Shane Anderson, director of Jackson's Parks and Recreation Department, said the muddy water has caused fishermen to stay away from Rotary Lake.

"It just really put a damper on the fishing," Anderson said.

Roderick said if it warms up outside, he'll throw out his rod and hope for the best.

"If there is a nice day soon, I'll go fish some and see what it's like," he said.

Jackson started its winter trout fishing program three years ago.

On Nov. 3, the conservation department released more than 1,000 trout into the lake. From then until Jan. 31, all trout caught must be immediately released. Beginning Feb. 1, anglers are allowed to keep up to five trout.

Trout can only live in water colder than 68 degrees, meaning Rotary Lake is stocked every year.

Anderson said the program, which is funded by the Department of Conservation and city of Jackson, has been successful.

jfreeze@semissourian.com