Ecological disaster averted at Llandrindod Wells lake, thanks to volunteer effort
About 500 smaller fish and 15 to 20 larger fish are expected to have died, including the lake’s record carp of 28 and a half pounds only pulled out by Bernie Jones in June.But volunteers hope, that with three new pumps now in place and rain and cooler temperatures, they the situation under control.Members of Lakeside Angling Club, Lakeside Boathouse staff and volunteers worked all night on Thursday to try and save as many fish from suffocation as possible.They picked up all of the struggling fish which were gasping for air due to the presence of blue green algae and placed them in an area on part of the lake that was more oxygenated.Lee Percy from the Lakeside Boathouse said: “We have now got over 100 fish in that area and they are surviving.Angler Rhys Davies rescuing a carp from the lake affected by blue green algae. Image by Andy ComptonVolunteers out on Llandrindod Wells lake looking for struggling fish. Image by Andy ComptonOne of the fish gasping for air in Llandrindod Wells lake. Image by Andy ComptonSome of the notices placed at Llandrindod Wells lake over the last week or so. Image by Andy ComptonA fish in the 'green' lake last week. Image by Andy ComptonOne of the pumps which has been in action trying to re-oxygenate the water at Llandrindod Wells lake. Image by Andy ComptonOne of the pumps putting life back into the water at Llandrindod Wells lake. Image by Andy Compton“We had that area in place on Thursday and then Powys County Council pulled out the four pumps they had given us without any discussion. As soon as they moved the pumps, we lost 15 fish in an hour and the other fish moved to try and find more oxygen, so we had to rescue them again.“Members of the public have been amazing, offering money for fuel, local builder Chris Robinson paid for the hire of one of the new big pumps for us, the town council hired another pump and they brought food for all the volunteers here and came to see if they could help and another local resident offered to hire another pump.“We have had a few dead carp including the recent lake record of 28 and a half pounds, which was caught by Bernie Johns in June. Just to replace that fish alone would cost over £2,000, that is the biggest fish we have had out of the lake in 35 years and he had been there for many, many years and it is something the younger anglers should have been aiming for, but now that is gone.“There is carp, rudd, roach and perch in there and the smaller Rudd, Roach and perch are likely to die.“We have lost about 500 small fish and about 15 to 20 larger ones but we won’t really know as they will just die, sink and then float back up. The smell will be around the lake for a while.“But now we have got three big pumps on there and they are very effective. Hopefully it will tide us over. What we need is a change in the weather with cooler temperatures and rain.But I think we have everything under control now.”Lee and the volunteers said thanks must also go to Tom Knill and Rhys Perkins for supplying the pumps, Councillor Pete Roberts who has been fighting for the lake and whatever it needs and Powys County Council officer Steve Gealey and Andrew Griffiths form Spring Rock Fishery.In terms of his business, Lee said the last time the algae incident happened in 2023 it cost him about £50,000.“I have had to cancel school groups because they can’t go on the water and of course it also means they are not here buying ice creams and drinks.“We are getting more and more extreme weather but Powys County Council are responsible for the lake and its condition and they need to look at preventative measures. There are lots of things they could do before things get to this stage such as dredging and they have a solar system at Llangorse.“For now the lake will need to recover, talks have been taking place on short term plans but then there will need to be longer terms planning too.”A spokesperson for Natural Resources Wales said: “Recent high temperatures have led to the growth of blue-green algae at this fishing lake in Llandrindod Wells, which has reduced oxygen levels in the water and created challenging conditions for fish. “The lake is owned by Powys County Council and is stocked and managed by the local angling club. As such, direct management of the incident does not fall within the remit of Natural Resources Wales. “However, we have been in regular contact with both the council and the angling club over recent weeks, offering specialist advice on actions that could help minimise the impact on fish stocks. This has included requesting support from the fire and rescue service to assist on site. We also provided advice on mitigation after previous occurrences of the same situation. “We will continue to provide technical advice where appropriate, but the responsibility for responding to and managing the situation lies with the landowner and those who manage the fishery. “
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