The first batches of the powder rotenone were sprayed into the northern bays on Sunday and within hours the results of this multi-million dollar project were evident - chubs and suckers began floating to the surface.
Primary beneficiaries of the treatment project, though, were the large flocks of seagulls and pelicans gorging themselves on fish often too big to ingest.Officially, the project wasn't to have begun until early Monday morning. Crews were scheduled only to test equipment on Sunday.
It was decided, however, that as long as full crews were there and working, they might as well be doing on-the-job training.
Before two shifts had finished work Sunday, nearly 100,000 pounds of the chemical had been sprayed or poured into a small northern section of the reservoir.
Late Sunday afternoon, dead and dying fish were being pushed by blowing winds into northern bays where flocks of birds waited. Rotenone is a chemical made from the root of a tree. Studies show that animals that eat the treated fish will not be harmed.
According to Leo Lentsch, project leader for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the working tests went well.
"We had a few problems, but nothing serious. I'm pleased with the way things went. We tested the equipment and the application methods and they worked," he said.
There was, however, some concern in the beginning. The original application method was scrapped 30 days ago for a new procedure.
Originally, the chemical was to have been mixed in large cement trucks and then loaded onto barges. It was slow and required special heavy equipment.
The new method uses a "rotenone aspirator" on each of the mixing barges. The aspirator is small and easy to handle and maneuver. The system uses a high-pressure water pump to suck in the chemical and mix it with water as the barges travel across the reservoir.
Results of the early treatment brought very few trout to the surface. Bruce Andersen, information officer for the DWR, said that on three passes around the northern shores he found only two trout. Not all the fish effected by the chemical will float to the surface.
According to Lentsch, the chemical will remain "hot" for from six to eight days.
Crews will complete treatment of the reservoir on Friday.
Sunday, two large military barges, called "ribbon bridges," were used to treat the main body of water. Smaller crafts sprayed the shorelines and the shallow bays. Crews navigated treatment sections using large balloons set up along the shores.
According to Lentsch, representatives from eight states, including New York and Wisconsin, and two representatives from Norway are helping with the treatment project.
The project will cost $3.5 million.
Plans are to start restocking the reservoir in three months with Bear Lake cutthroat, kokanee salmon and sterilized rainbow trout.
The DWR hopes to have the reservoir open to fishing in January of 1991.