Lake Water Quality Compares Well With Past Years

By STAFF REPORT

Posted: November 12, 2009 at 4:40 a.m.

• Print item
• E-mail
• Share
• Tweet

The water quality of Beaver Lake in 2009 compares well with results from sampling and measurements from the past three years of data, according to information from Beaver Water District.

The district released the information, which is based on tests conducted during the annual Secchi Day held in August. Tests were conducted at 34 points on the lake.

Secchi depth is a measure of water transparency that involves lowering a black and white disk into the water and recording the measurement when the disk is no longer visible. Deeper depths indicate water that is clearer than more shallow depths. In addition to Secchi depth readings, volunteers also collect water samples that are tested by the district’s lab.

“As usual, the measurements show we have good water quality in the northern portion of Beaver Lake, nearer the dam and poorer water quality upstream, which is what you would expect. That’s because water quality in large, manmade reservoirs improves as the water moves downstream and sediment and pollutants settle out,” said Robert Morgan, manager of environmental quality for the district.

Secchi measurements this year ranged from less than 1 meter (a little over 3 feet) in the White River arm of the lake to more than 5.8 meters in the area of the Beaver Dam.

“The transparency of water is related to the concentration of particles, either organic, such as algae, or inorganic, such as sediment,” Morgan said.

Morgan said water transparency also may be related to weather conditions. Flooding causes lots of sediment to flow from tributaries into the lake. Increased sediment may also decrease water clarity.

This year, the lake had chlorophyll at concentrations ranging from greater than 20 parts per billion in the headwaters of the lake to less than 3 parts per billion near the dam, which illustrates the gradient of water quality through the reservoir.

More information is available on the Beaver Water District Web site at www.bwdh2o.org.

Comments

To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.