2024 Summer Water Quality
Our Summer water quality samples are back and all are within normal range. The team collected water samples Monday, July 15th. This was after our big rainfall of 6-7 inches. Starting with E.Coli, some testing sites were lower than last year while others were higher. Our lake management experts believe this is an animal based contaminate and all testing sites were within normal range. The Suspended Solid levels are down from last year resulting in better water clarity. Nitrogen levels are higher in most areas due to the abundant amount of rain we had recently. Runoff from fields, lawns, and even the ground water increases this nutrient in our lakes. Our next sampling will take place in the fall. We hope everyone is having a wonderful lake season.
pH is an indication of our lake's acid level. Neutral water, like distilled water, has a 7 pH level. Any measurement below 7 is considered acidic. Low pH levels affect fish spawning to the point of extinction. For humans, low pH levels increase the concentration of heavy metals like aluminum, zinc, and mercury.
When there are high E. coli counts there are three indicators in a lake to consider rain, large presence of waterfowl, and many people. Rain produces ground water that runs into the lake and carries with it E. coli. Bird feces contribute disease causing bacteria to the water. And, beach areas with many people swimming tend to have higher levels of E. coli.
Dissolved Oxygen (O2) is undoubtedly the most important of the gases, since most aquatic organisms need it to survive. The solubility of oxygen and other gases depends on water temperature. The colder the water, the more gases it can hold. Boiling water removes all gases. Oxygen is produced whenever green plants grow. Plants use carbon dioxide and water to produce simple sugars and oxygen, using sunlight as the energy source.
Phosphorus promotes excessive aquatic plant growth. Phosphorus originates from a variety of sources, many of which are related to human activities. Major sources include human and animal wastes, soil erosion, detergents, septic systems and runoff from farmlands or lawns.
The Total Suspended Solids numbers relate to water clarity, especially the amount of algae present.
Nitrogen is second only to phosphorus as an important nutrient for plant and algae growth. Precipitation is usually the main nitrogen source for seepage and some drainage lakes. In most cases, however, the amount of nitrogen in lake water corresponds to local land use. Nitrogen may come from fertilizer and animal wastes on agricultural lands, human waste from sewage treatment plants or septic systems, and lawn fertilizers used on lakeshore property. Nitrogen may enter a lake from surface runoff or groundwater sources.
