Braidwood Station, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and local bass clubs teamed up Monday to place 90 artificial fish habitats into Braidwood Lake to improve the environment for fish.
The fish habitat structures – a combination of plastic and PVC pipe – sink to the bottom of the lake where they collect algae and plankton. Fish acclimate to the structures, congregating near them in schools during spawning season.
Since 2007 Exelon has paid to place more than 900 of these artificial fish habitats into Braidwood Lake. The lake was formed for cooling the power plant. High water temperatures created by plant operations makes it difficult for vegetation to grow naturally in the lake. The fish habitat structures help compensate for the lack of vegetation by providing the fish a place to congregate, said Rob Miller, IDNR fisheries biologist.
Pictured: the group from Exelon, IDNR and local bass clubs that helped line Braidwood Lake with habitats Monday.
