Lake Redstone Protection District
Why is the water brown?
The water in Lake Redstone has a distinct brown color and many people are asking why. The most probable reason is that Lake Redstone is experiencing a diatom bloom. The next question is: What are diatoms? They are a type of unicellular algae with many unique features. In addition to the normal green pigments used by plants and green algae to perform photosynthesis, diatoms have additional brown pigments, giving them a golden-brown color.
Diatoms are a ubiquitous type of algae that are found in both freshwater lakes and rivers and in oceans. They frequently undergo boom (bloom) and bust cycles, including in many Wisconsin lakes, growing rapidly under the proper conditions (often in the spring) and later die, sinking to the bottom. The conclusion that the brown color in Lake Redstone this spring is an educated guess. However, on Tuesday, May 13, water samples were taken from Lake Redstone and sent to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene for analysis. The results will determine whether the conclusion is correct (or not).
Why did a diatom bloom occur in Lake Redstone this spring? The short answer is that we don’t know. The good news is that the diatoms will likely be short lived and will likely disappear in a few weeks. The other good news is that although they cause a decrease in water clarity and make the water an unpleasant brown color, they are not harmful to people or pets. For more details about diatoms, one can consult Wikipedia on “diatoms” or for more local information do a “Google” search for “diatoms in Wisconsin lakes”.
Goose Management
Lake Redstone has a large and growing geese population. A goose management committee was formed last year. After researching many options, they recommended doing a goose round-up. At the March LRPD board meeting, the board approved working with the USDA do do a goose round-up this summer. Here is the presentation made by Mike Jones from the USDA made at the information meeting:
IMPORTANT: Before geese can be rounded up, property owners need to give written permission to allow USDA personnel to gain access to their property. Please complete the Permission Form and return it to the LRPD by June 1.
The form can be mailed to:
Lake Redstone Protection District
PO Box 313
La Valle, WI 53941
Or emailed to: lrpd.board@gmail.com
For more information, please see page 7 of the Spring 2025 Newsletter
Enhanced Wake Ordinance
A special meeting was held on April 12 between the LRPD, Lake Redstone Watersports Club and the Town of LaValle. A presentation was made by the LRPD and the Friends of Lake Redstone:
After some discussion a compromise Enhanced Wake Ordinance was proposed
The full Lake Redstone Protection District board has not seen or approved this proposal. A special board meeting will be held on April 17 at 6PM to discuss the proposed compromise and determine a response to the proposal.
Review Previous Articles
You can review previous articles at the Article Archive
Zebra Mussels
With the large number of outside visitors coming to the lake this summer, we would encourage residents to be diligent in looking for invasive species as you remove your boats and docks this year. A number of nearby lakes have zebra mussels. So far, we have avoided getting these in our lake.
If you suspect that you have found these or other invasives, please contact the board at lrpd.board@gmail.com.
