KAUKAUNA (WTAQ-WLUK) – A study which could lead to the re-opening of the Menasha lock has had an early setback, which will likely delay the final results.
The Menasha lock, which connects Lake Winnebago and Little Lake Butte des Morts, has been closed since 2015 to prevent the round goby from spreading to Lake Winnebago.
The Fox River Navigational System Authority wants to install an electric barrier to reopen the lock.
Electronic voltage would pulse near the bottom of the concrete where the gobies like to swim, pushing them away or immobilizing them. The system would then use changes in water velocity to flush out the lock channel and prevent the gobies from getting into Lake Winnebago. The authority says because gobies are bottom-dwellers, the electric pulse wouldn’t affect other fish that swim into the lock.
The DNR, however, requested more details on how the barrier would work and what the impact would be on the round gobies.
The $165,000 study was approved by the FRNSA and work has started, FRNSA executive director Jeremy Cords said at a meeting Tuesday. However, 29 of the 30 gobies being studied died early on at the laboratory. The contractor is collecting more gobies and then will continue its work.
Instead of having the study completed by next August, it will be delayed at least a month, Cords said.
Once final approval is given, it would take nine-to-14 months to construct the $3 million barrier.
