Lake improvement is one of the many issues where talk seems to outnumber action about a million to one.

Friday, November 02, 2001

Lake improvement is one of the many issues where talk seems to outnumber action about a million to one. So it’s encouraging to see some progress made, at least one one front.

A county crew Thursday installed an aerator in Albert Lea Lake, designed to keep the water in that spot bubbling all winter and prevent it from freezing over. The point: To keep enough oxygen in the lake to ensure that fish will survive the winter in the shallow waters of the lake.

It took a lot of work for lake advocates to get a permit for the device approved by the DNR; proponents took their case to the city council and county board to get local governmental blessings, then wrangled with the state agency over whether the aerator is needed.

Some hope the presence of the aerator will do more than just save fish; they believe that such machines can also slowly work to improve water quality. That remains to be seen, but even if the aerator’s sole effect is to preserve game fish – which are starting to make a nice comeback in the lake system – it will be worth it.