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The Chisago Lakes Lake Improvement District, County Board and City of Lindstrom acted recently on a proposal to split the expenses to remove a couple of ponds’ full of invasive goldfish.  The city had been looking into chemical eradication for the past several months, since receiving council okay last winter to poison the fish, but City Administrator John Olinger said that method just wasn’t panning out.

The newly authorized plan is for Blake Drilling, located in Blaine, to draw down lake water in the two ponds off Lakeside Drive and snag the goldfish.  (See graphic.)

Council heard the new plan has the company pump down the pond levels, capture fish in a mesh on the suction end, and drain the water into a natural drainage area.  Any fish remaining stuck in the pond bottom will be excavated and disposed of.  Part of the budget also includes restoring any heavy equipment damage to residence yards encircling the ponds.

This is exactly why citizens are cautioned to never dispose of unwanted aquatic species outdoors into lakes.  

The Lake Improvement District Board brought this issue to Lindstrom’s attention, due to concerns about the proximity of the holding ponds to the Chisago Chain.

If the gold fish find their way out of the contained ponding  basins it is anticipated they’ll over-run the chain of lakes,  as the lakes are connected.

Nobody knows where the goldfish originated.  Olinger said it is proved that the fish can over-winter in northern lakes with literally no food sources and low oxygen content. Other Minnesota towns have had to eradicate these invasive former “pets” as they proliferated and became dominant in habitats they are not meant to live in.

The quote from the company is for $21,468 for the week-long pumping setup and any additional on-site presence runs $488 daily after the week. There is an estimate of 40 gallons of fuel per day for the machinery.

The date of the drawdown  is not being released at this time.

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