Pilot Lake Restoration Investigations in the Fox Chain of Lakes

Pilot lake restoration schemes were implemented in the Fox Chain of Lakes, Illinois, in an attempt to improve the water quality of the Chain. A detailed study had determined that the deep lakes in the system developed distinct summer stratification and became totally anoxic below the thermoclines, with marked increases of end products of anaerobic decomposition of bottom sediments. High densities of algae, primarily blue-greens and diatoms, were common. Three different in-lake restoration techniques were tried in three parts of the lake system: nutrient inactivation by alum precipitation in Bluff Lake; copper sulfate application in Mineola Bay, Fox Lake; and aeration-destratification combined with chemical treatment in Lake Catherine. The alum and copper sulfate applications in small portions of the lake system were found ineffective because of the interconnection of the Chain's waters. However, chemical treatment combined with aeration proved to be worthwhile in Lake Catherine. The aeration system demonstrated its capability to destratify the thermal regime and induce oxygenation of lake waters down to its location level. There is also evidence that increased water temperatures and allied dissolved oxygen partially stabilized the organic content of bottom sediments. The full potential of aeration and chemical treatment would probably be realized if a comprehensive water quality management scheme were implemented.publishedpeer reviewedOpe