Healthy Lakes – Water Quality
Ann Stevenson, Chairperson of Water Quality – 2022 Report
We continue to collect water samples from Child, Girl, and Woman Lakes as part of a study through RMBEL (RMB Environmental Laboratories, INC.) The 2022 RMBEL report shows levels of Chlorophyll-A and Phosphorus and Secchi disk testing. Chlorophyll-A levels are influenced by nitrogen and phosphorus which are essential for plant growth. But when excessive nitrogen and phosphorus levels enter our water supply, they tend to promote algae growth which reduces water clarity and visibility. By practicing good stewardship and minimizing run-off into our lakes and streams we hope to have a good future. To see the data reports, go to www.rmbel.info/data. Thanks to our volunteers: Amy Tuqua, Keith Lorensen, Jon Stevenson, and Ed Odeen, for their continued assistance in collecting the water samples.
The collection of simple water quality data is one way to begin to quantify the physical, chemical and biological condition of lakes. Over 1,000 Minnesota lakes have chosen to participate in our Volunteer Lakes Monitoring Program, and our staff train over 500 volunteers in lake sample collection annually.
Each lake is unique due to the many characteristics and variables that influence its makeup. The collection of simple water quality data is one way to begin to quantify the physical, chemical and biological condition of lakes. In 1993, Bruce Paakh of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency developed a monitoring program that was user friendly and provided citizen lake managers with the ability to characterize the fertility and resultant productivity of a lake. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. has worked closely with the MPCA since 1995 to enhance the program following its goals and has increased participation to over 900 lakes throughout Minnesota. The lakes monitoring program involves the collection of total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a samples. Other observations such as Secchi disk, lake level, rainfall, and recreational suitability are also documented. Citizen volunteers collect water samples once a month from May through September and submit them to the lab. Following laboratory analysis, the collected data is electronically stored and tracked using this web-accessed database, so that users can view and assess the data.