The algae, in turn, blocks out sunlight preventing weed growth which lowers oxygen levels, none of which is good for fish. Winsted Lake's pollution problems go way back and stemmed mainly from not knowing the right thing to do. Raw sewage was dumped into the lake until 1965 when Winsted's wastewater treatment plant was built. Since the formation of the association in 1994, reversing lake pollution has stepped up a few notches. People laughed at the association for thinking it could clean up the lake, Mochinski said.
People do fish the lake now.
Ice houses dot the lake in winter, which only a few years ago was not a common sight. Winsted Lake is a nutrient-rich lake which, though good for algae, also promotes both weed and fish growth. We get ecstatic about weeds. The lake was stocked with bluegills in 1990 and is producing a huge number of northerns, said Mochinski. Winsted is a shallow lake.