Low River Levels in Iowa a Threat to Fish

(Radio Iowa) Experts say Iowa river levels are so low the state’s fish population is stressed — and conditions could cause more fish kills. Meteorologist Jim Lee at the National Weather Service office in Des Moines says there’s not been enough rainfall to replenish rivers.

“We’ve been below normal rainfall for so much of the year and so much of it gets drawn out for vegetation and other needs that there’s just not enough to recharge the system,” Lee says. In many areas, river levels are so low canoeing and kayaking is not recommended because boats would scrape the river bottom. Lee says some of Iowa’s river basins are at 10 percent of normal capacity.

“Some of our larger rivers are barely trickling,” Lee says. “…Unfortunately region-wide, almost everywhere in Iowa is much, much drier than normal.” The first frost happens across Iowa during the first half of October and experts say if lakes and waterways were to freeze at these low levels, oxygen levels would be lower — and fish could suffer. Lee says it doesn’t appear weather patterns will change in the next couple of weeks or perhaps even longer.

“There’ll be a lucky few who get some rain now and then, but mostly it’ll be dry and even the rain that does fall won’t be widespread or heavy enough to really impact our drought conditions,” Lee says. In July, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported nearly a 21-thousand Shovelnose Sturgeon had died along a 60-mile stretch of the Des Moines River in southeast Iowa. D-N-R biologists determined the fish kill was caused by low water levels and high water temperatures. It was the largest fish kill in the region since 2012. In late August, the D-N-R estimates up to five thousand fish were killed along a 74-mile stretch of the Upper Iowa River in Winneshiek County.
(A.J. Taylor, KIOW, Forest City)