2009 SEPTEMBER WATER TESTING SUMMARY

Water testing for the month of September was performed on Sept. 18th for the streams and Sept. 20th for the lake. The weather in the prior few days before testing was in the 50’s over night rising to the mid 70s during the day will little rain and periods of cloudiness.
Streams Testing Summary
The streams showed visually clear water. Some scum was observed in a couple of areas. The troll readings showed slightly elevated turbidity readings in the 1-2 NTU range but well below the visible level of 5 NTU. Visual sightings of suds like floating patches suggest that some algae levels were present at the test sites.
The Colorimeter tests showed slightly elevated Nitrate levels which were also confirmed by the troll readings. pH levels were normal, and Dissolved oxygen levels were very good in the 9-10mg/L range.
Air temperature at the time of test was in the low 60 deg F range. Stream water temperatures were in the 51-55 deg F range. Conductivity (measure of salinity) was normal for most areas except the test point by LKQ. Since the LKQ outflow was not running, a test was taken in the main Browns Brook stream just above the junction at the LKQ outflow point. This stream area tested at a high of 238uSem which would reflect influences above LKQ. Mine Brook tested the lowest at 20 uSem (100+ suggests human influence). All other streams tested between 20 and 125 uSem.
Aquatic life observations included mostly water bugs which seemed to be more plentiful than usual.
Lake Testing Summary
The air temperature at the time of lake testing was in the low 60s with sunny weather. The water temperature of the lake measured in the 66-67 degree range which is more than 10 degrees higher than the streams. The water had a dark brownish-green appearance to it and the suds patches associate with algae was also observed on the surface. The lake appeared to be in the process of turning over. This observation is also supported by Dissolved Oxygen readings from the Troll that show the oxygen levels from top to bottom all are in the 7-8mg/L range.
No thermocline layer was found in South and Middle pond which is normally happens this time of year. North pond did show a thermocline at 31-32ft and low Dissolved Oxygen levels were seen below the thermocline. Due to an equipment failure of the Van Dorn sample grabber, we were unable to capture a Colorimeter sample of the thermocline.
Secchi disk measurements were lower than usual, ranging from 8.6ft for South Pond, 17ft for Middle Pond, and 14.8ft for North Pond. These lower readings are also reflected in the Troll Turbidity readings which show lower water clarity than normal especially in South Pond. The change in water color and lower visibility are likely due to water turning over and bringing up algae which due to climate conditions for much of this summer, has been more prevalent than in past years.
Phosphors, Nitrates, from the Colorimeter tests, and pH, and Conductivity (Salinity) from the Troll readings, all tested in the normal range.
Summary
This season has seen much cooler and wet weather than normal. This different weather led to much more algae being seen and increased the number of reports and questions as a result. A new aquatic plant was discovered this summer. It is named Bryozoan, but is more often referred to as “white coral”. This plant requires very clean water to grow. It is not a threat to the lake and is a sign of the water quality in the lake. A picture and write up about this plant can be seen by going to the following URL: https://lakeside.homeserver.com/ and click on “Lake Data and Information” and on the next screen, select “aquatic plants identification” It is number 11 in the list.
While this has been a difficult season for the lake, the good news is that it is quickly starting to get back to normal. My concern about elevated levels of Chlorophyll and bacteria is past. The lake is starting to clear up and will likely be completely back to normal when we do the October tests.
All of the raw data and forms created during this testing event, with the exception of the Microbac external lab tests for the September Chlorophyll test results are now available on line and can be viewed by going to the following URL: https://lakeside.homeserver.com/ and click on “Lake Data and Information” and on the next screen click on “2009 Water Test Data”. The next screen lists all test data collected in 2009. Just click on the name of the information you want to look at and that document will open.


Al Huefner