Don't grab your fishing pole and head to Jersey Valley County Park in hopes of catching a blue gill or bass. Those days are gone for a couple of years after a series of unfortunate circumstances polluted the recreational area and obliterated the fish life living in the lake.

According to David Vetrano, fisheries supervisor with the Department of Natural Resources office in La Crosse, warm temperatures and rain, combined with manure spread on frozen ground surrounding the lake created a lethal runoff spelling the demise of the lake

Vetrano was first contacted on March 4 by a local fisherman who noticed small dead fish floating near drilled ice holes in the lake. Three days later the angler noticed the clarity of the lake had decreased along with the amount of the dead fish.

A crew of biologists traveled to Jersey Valley Lake on March 9 to test the oxygen levels in the water. They found only one spot in the 54-acre lake with a high enough oxygen level to support fish life.

Further tests performed at the lake after the ice melted confirmed DNR initial findings. The e-coli levels of the lake were extensive and the bacteria matched the content of animal and critter guts found in manure.

The e-coli levels in the lake along with the BOD (biological oxygen demand) were off the chart. Bacteria require oxygen to survive. Once the manure mixed with the water in the lake the bacteria in the manure sucked the oxygen from the water, subsequently suffocating the fish.

According to Vetrano the BOD levels from samples taken at Jersey Valley registered at 35 milligrams per liter of water. Normal BOD levels are 2-3 milligrams per liter.

"Fish can't survive in those conditions. It's just not possible," Vetrano said.

DNR and local conservation members held a meeting with area farmers in Cashton late last month in hopes of collectively working together to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.

Conflicting stories surfaced in recent weeks regarding the situation at Jersey Valley and possible other reasons for the fish kill.

According to Vetrano water levels at the lake were lowered by eight feet over the winter to help eradicate Eurasian milfoil plants along the edge of the lake. The lowered water levels did not affect the oxygen levels in the lake or the fish living in the body of water. Local residents reported healthy fish taken through the ice the day before the runoff event.

Vetrano also responded to questions regarding salt placed on surrounding roadways which may have made its way into the lake. He stated that the DNR regularly uses salt to lower the stress levels for fish. Tests verified the salt levels at Jersey Valley Lake were normal.

Jersey Valley Lake was completed in 1968 for both flood control and recreation and opened for recreational purposes in 1970. Leakage problems on the left side (looking downstream) of the dam have been a concern since the dam was constructed in the 1960s.

Vernon County Resource Conservationist Phil Hahn clarified that the dam leakage problem posed no immediate safety concerns and is regularly monitored. Funds are currently being sought through the USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for a geological investigation of the dam. Once the investigation is complete the extent of the leakage will be determined and a plan will be developed to prevent a catastrophic failure at the dam in the future.

Due to Wisconsin state law. Vernon County is the considered the legal operator of the dam. Cutbacks in federal and state funding in recent years have lowered the County's financial availability to protect and repair the 22 large flood control dams in the county.

"In recent years the Federal government cuts funds to the State, and the State reduced revenue sharing funds to the Counties, which leaves the local taxpayers holding the bag for expensive and needed infrastructure repairs." Hahn said. "Vernon County is a very large area. We simply don't have enough money or employees to oversee everything as effectively as we would like to."

Leakage problems at Jersey Valley Lake could delay the rebuilding process. The picnic and trail regions of the park will be open for visitors in 2005, but draining, cleaning up and restocking the fish supply at the lake will take time and money. The county had hoped lower e-coli tests would allow the lake to be open for swimming this summer, but the DNR ordered the lake to be drained completely for dam safety reasons.

The lake is 32 feet at its deepest point and is currently been lowered eight feet. The water level can safely be drained six inches a day.

"Right now the water smells like rotten eggs due to the limited oxygen supply in the lake and the decaying dead fish. The quality is extremely poor. It'll improve with time," Vetrano said.

The DNR works closely with land conservationists throughout the state of Wisconsin to prevent unfortunate situations like the fish kill at Jersey Valley Lake.

"It is a little disappointing, but understandable given the potential fines involved, that no one has owned up to the Jersey Valley situation. We've brought an awareness of problems to light and hopefully we can find some common ground and improve decision making in the future so an event like this never happens again," Hahn said.

The fishing industry in the state is a multi-million dollar industry. Vetrano's worst nightmare is that contamination like Jersey Valley would flow into the West Fork of the Kickapoo or the streams through Timber Coulee. Trout streams in the Coulee Region contain 2-3,000 fish per mile. If an individual is found guilty of polluting a waterway restitution of the fish supply averages $26 a fish to restock after the area is deemed safe.

"Trout fishing is big business in the state of Wisconsin and growing every year. Many people aren't aware of that, but they should be," Vetrano said. "Jersey Valley is not going to recover soon. Some blue gills in the lake are 9-10 inches long and took 10 years to develop. There's a lot of concern being raised and a lot of unhappy people who spend time at the lake, Vetrano said adding. "We have very few recreational lakes in the state that produce quality fishing like Jersey Valley provides."

The Vernon County kill is not an isolated incident. The DNR has reported five other manure-related incidents this year suspected to have been caused by winter-spreading of manure.

A follow-up meeting with area farmers, the DNR, local conservationists and political representatives is tentatively planned for July. No confirmed date has been scheduled. Any additional questions can be referenced to Dave Vetrano at 608-785-9009 or the Vernon County Land and Water Conservation Department in Viroqua at 608-637-5480.