Factors Affecting Winter Fish Kills in the Coralville Reservoir, Iowa

Authors

Donald B. McDonald, University of IowaFollow
Robert D. Schmickle, University of Iowa

Document Type

Research

Abstract

The Coralville Reservoir, located on the Iowa River just upstream from Iowa City, has as its primary purpose the control of floods on the rivers downstream. A conservation pool is maintained for recreational purposes. During December 1964 and January 1965, a combination of rather unusual circumstances caused an almost complete depletion of oxygen in the reservoir and resulted in a fish kill. Oxygen demand of the incoming water from a sudden winter rain greatly exceeded the available oxygen dissolved in the lake. A heavy ice cover prevented the renewal of oxygen by wind action. The depletion continued until warm rains, melting snow, warmer weather, and the partial drainage of the lake to provide for the flood storage level resulted in the complete replacement of the contents.

Publication Date

1965

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

72

Issue

1

First Page

243

Last Page

247

Copyright

©1965 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

McDonald, Donald B. and Schmickle, Robert D. (1965) "Factors Affecting Winter Fish Kills in the Coralville Reservoir, Iowa," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 72(1), 243-247.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol72/iss1/37