In late March several dead Carp were noticed in Lost Lake. Days later several more showed up in the drainage ditch on the South side of CSAH12 leading into Lost Lake. With the high water levels last summer, the Carp were able to migrate up through the creek from White Bear Lake to spawn in Lost Lake and the adjacent wetlands. This is something that is not unexpected, and probably a good thing since carp are very detrimental to water quality. Wetlands and shallow lakes, such as Lost Lake, can provide good spawning habitat for invasive carp. Although some believe this was caused by pollution, it was due to natural winter-kill. There have been numerous reports of winter-kill in other shallow lakes in the area. Lost Lake is not an isolated incident. Winter-kill is driven by low dissolved oxygen concentrations, which is commonly accompanied by the release of hydrogen sulfide gas, which has a rotten egg odor.
For more information about Winterkill please visit MN DNR Website