Merrit's Mill Pond to Be Drawn Down

[sskasser]

Anyone attend the meeting?

http://www2.jcfloridan.com/news/2012...wn-ar-3026718/

Merrit's mill pond to be drawn down



Merritt’s Mill Pond may be partially drawn down this winter so that invasive hydrilla can be treated at the Blue Springs swimming area on the pond. The pond would be stocked with sterile grass carp after the water returns to normal levels, in hopes that the fish will eat hydrilla to further control its grown.



By: Deborah Buckhalter | Jackson County Floridan
Published: January 12, 2012 Updated: January 12, 2012 - 5:00 AM

A public meeting will be held tonight to discuss plans to partially draw down Merritt’s Mill Pond so that invasive hydrilla can be treated in the pond’s swimming area at Blue Springs.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Citizens Lodge.

The drawdown will take the water no lower than 48 inches below normal levels, and should last between 30-45 days. After the pond fills back up, it will be stocked with 1,000 sterile grass carp. Those fish like to eat hydrilla, which is now in plentiful supply, and are vegetarians. Because of these characteristics, the carp are not expected to negatively affect other fish populations.

Jackson County Parks and Recreation requested the drawdown, which will be done at no charge to the county. The chemical treatment with Diquat will be carried out by Matt Phillips, a Florida Wildlife Commission biologist who manages invasive plants for the agency. Diquat is considered one of the safest chemicals available for this task, and there is no waiting period required for swimming or fishing after it is applied. It is used by private land owners to treat their aquatic weed problems and requires no special training by the person applying it.

The work could begin as soon as next week if it does proceed as planned. The county has been asking for assistance in this matter for about two months, and the hurry-up meeting was called because the county and state are hoping to take advantage of cold weather and the fact that the pond is already somewhat below normal levels because of lack of rain. For instance, the water level at the dam at U.S. 90 is 12 inches below normal. The drawdown there would be no more than 36 inches if the level doesn’t rise before work begins.

The cold weather, officials hope, will help kill off some of the exposed hydrilla and, as a result, reduce the amount of chemical that will have to be used. Phillips is expected to concentrate the chemicals on areas near shore, where the drawdown will likely expose more of the long hydrilla stalks.

Starting soon would also mean that the drawdown would be less likely to interrupt the spawning season of fish, which begins in mid-March.

During the drawdown, only kayaks and canoes will likely be able to launch until the pond starts filling back up, said FWC fish biologist Katie Woodside. The pond is, on average, between 6 and 12 feet deep in most places at full strength.

On the plus side, landowners along the Mill Pond will have an opportunity to do some maintenance on their docks if the work they want to do is not prohibited by state regulations, pointed out Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Hatcher.

Jackson County Utilities Director Steve Croxton will participate in the project by monitoring the dam at U.S. 90 as the drawdown is conducted, to prevent fish from flowing over the control structure as the water is allowed to flow out of the pond into Spring Creek.

[Dark Eternal]

While this certainly is no good for diving, it sounds like it might be beneficial to the long term health of the pond. Sounds like Edd won't be able to run his boats during this time.

[Slüdge]

Jackson Blue will be divable. They have moved the floating docks so they will allow what little trickle there is coming out of the spring to keep flowing.

[sskasser]

Jackson Blue will be divable. They have moved the floating docks so they will allow what little trickle there is coming out of the spring to keep flowing.

I'm not following you. How would they stop the flow coming out of JB anyway? All of the springs should still be diveable, just not boat accessible, no?

[Kevin Carlisle]

Only JB will be accessible during this period unless you can walk on soft bottomless mud. It starts Monday the 23rdcold and they predict the pond will be back up 16 days later.

[Slüdge]

Okay. That was a little vague.

The new floating docks almost meet, but where there is an opening is probably not where the trickle will go down (there is almost NO flow coming out of the spring). They have moved the docks, I guess, so the fish will still be able to swim between the spring and the pond proper.

[FW]

Remember, the flow will "appear" to go up, as the pond level drops. There will be current for awhile, but will almost stop, when the pond is empty. When they close the dam again, the pond will slowly fill up, but the current in the cave will be nil.

[FW]

...The pond would be stocked with sterile grass carp...

Reminds me of Jurassic Park. I just hope the carp are really sterile, and don't find another way to breed

[sskasser]

Ah, I see, thanks for the explanation. I'm a little slow with all this frigid weather

Here's an updated news story as well:

http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/M...137447263.html

Meritt's Mill Pond Drawdown One Week Away

Marianna- Jackson County work crews are preparing for a long overdue drawdown at Merritt's Mill Pond in Marianna.


Reporter:

Bryan Anderson

Email Address:

Bryan.Anderson@wjhg.com

Marianna- The countdown is on to the first drawdown since 1995 of Merritt's Mill Pond in Jackson County.

"We have about one week left," said Jackson County Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Hatcher.

Hatcher took News Channel 7 on a tour of the area Monday to show what the water looks like.

"In the past couple of growing seasons, during the summer, the coontail and the yellow grass have grown extensively, and the hydrilla has started to come back," said Hatcher.

In some places it's become so overgrown some of the plants have grown all the way top the surface.

On any given day, the pond is filled with birds, turtles, fish, and other wildlife and for that reason, Hatcher said a drawdown is the only safe way to get the job done.

"The plants will be exposed to the cold weather and a couple of frosts we're hoping, and that should help kill back the vegetation," said Hatcher.

He said the process doesn't just benefit the environment, it also helps waterfront residents.

"The homeowners can have a chance to repair their docks, do some maintenance on some of the seawall, and do some shoreline restoration," said Hatcher.

But Hatcher said whether you plan to do any maintenance or not, it's still important to get your boats out of the water.

"The boats could kind of sit on the bottom, really won't hurt the boat, but when the water raises back up, they may have a tendency to stick to the bottom versus floating up," said Hatcher.

Crews will start the drawdown next Monday, January 23rd. Hatcher said it'll take around five days to lower the water four feet, where it'll stay for up to forty days.

[Kevin Carlisle]

Only JB will be accessible during this period unless you can walk on soft bottomless mud. It starts Monday the 23rdcold and they predict the pond will be back up 16 days later.