Fish and Game, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, has drawn down both ponds at the Lowman Ponds access site to make repairs to a plugged culvert, and the ponds will remain drained throughout the winter in an effort to address chronic issues with invasive aquatic weeds. The ponds will not be refilled until spring.
“The issue with aquatic weeds at Lowman Ponds is something we have wrestled with for years now, using herbicide applications to try to knock back invasive milfoil with limited success,” said Art Butts, Regional Fisheries Manger. “We have had success elsewhere in the state with lowering water levels to freeze and kill milfoil, and with the ponds already drained for a culvert repair, we had an opportunity to take that approach here.”
With the timing of the project, impact to anglers will be minimal. Fish and Game typically stops stocking Lowman Ponds in the winter due to weather conditions and resumes stocking in the spring. The ponds will only miss one stocking event that had previously been planned for October. In the longer term, fisheries managers are hopeful that the treatment will improve both fish habitat and fishability of the pond for anglers.