Low water on Buffalo Lake will improve habitat

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Low water on Buffalo Lake will improve habitat
(Released January 12, 2012)

Low water levels on Buffalo Lake this winter may make it a better place for waterfowl and other species of wildlife, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Buffalo Lake, in western Waseca County, is one of 47 bodies of water in Minnesota to be designated as a wildlife management lake by the DNR. It received this unique designation in 1971, after public hearings supported the effort. As a wildlife management lake, the 895-acre shallow basin is specifically managed to improve wildlife habitat. In 2009, a new water control structure and fish barrier was completed on the lake’s outlet to allow better management of the lake. Ducks Unlimited, Janesville Sportsman’s Club and the DNR worked as a team on that project.

Jeanine Vorland, area wildlife manager for the DNR, said that lowering the water periodically helps create a healthy ecosystem for the lake. In winter it helps foster conditions that can lead to winterkill of certain rough fish such as black bullheads and fathead minnows, especially in years with little fall runoff. High populations of these fish can contribute to poor water clarity. Clear water allows sago pondweed and other submersed vegetation to flourish, providing food for waterfowl and cover for desirable fish.

Vorland said historically dry conditions through the fall caused water levels to gradually decline in the lake, even though all stop logs had been replaced in the dam. “We hoped the water would come back up for muskrats and waterfowl as well as lake users,” Vorland said. “But with no rain, it just didn’t happen.”

At freeze-up, Vorland pulled the stop logs back out of the dam to maintain low water. “Although good winterkill conditions have yet to develop, we also need to guard against a large increase in water levels when the lake is frozen. We want to make sure that a sudden change in water levels doesn’t uproot vegetation or disrupt winter conditions for muskrats and other wildlife,” she said.

The drawdown will continue into early spring to get the best possible results. With average rainfall, water levels in Buffalo Lake should recover by next summer.