AERATOR FENCE INSTALLATION & REMOVAL:

Each year members of the Kamloops and District Fish and Game Association install aerators on seven area lakes (Bleeker, Rose, Tulip, Horseshoe, Wolloper, Lodgepole and Logan ) in an effort to reduce fish mortality caused by the lack of oxygen in the water  under the ice.  This die off is known as winter kill.

In late October or early November, prior to ice-over, club members begin preparation for this event by going out in boats, checking to make sure that the aerator pumps are working and performing any repairs that are necessary.

In late December, after the ice has reached a safe thickness, approximately five inches, members go out and install safety fences around the aerators.  They start by marking out a circle with a 100 foot radius from the aerator pump, use ice augers to drill holes around the circumference of the circle and then install posts to which netting is attached.   The aerator pumps are then turned on.  The pumps pump water up into the air where it becomes oxygenated before falling back into the lake.  This pumping action causes a hole to open up in the ice around the aerator exposing open water.   For this reason, warning signs are attached to the netting warning people to stay back as the ice around the edge of the hole can become thin and unsafe.  If prolonged warm weather is experienced, the open hole can enlarge to the point where the fence becomes unstable and the circle has to be expanded and more netting added.

Each spring, after the ice melts, club members go out in boats and collect the posts and netting and store them so that they can be used again the following winter.