Crow Wing County Lake Monitor Training

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Crow Wing County Lake Monitor Training

• Part 1
• Limnology Primer
• Sample Collection Technique
• Quality Control
• Water Sample Drop-off and Transport
• Part 2
• Data Access and Reporting
• Understanding Lake Data
• Supply Distribution

Moriya Rufer, RMBEL Lakes Program
Coordinator Melissa Barrick, Crow Wing SWCD
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Goals of Monitoring Program

• Goals
• Enhance a lake dataset for Crow Wing County
• Determine if the lakes are impaired for excess
  nutrients
• Education and awareness
• Citizen Volunteer Monitoring can
• Identify solve problems locally
• Involve people in real science
• Raise awareness
• Provide information on places where no one else
  is looking
• Create an informed constituency

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Why Monitor Annually?

• Analyze long-term trends to see if your water
  quality is improving or declining (MPCA
  recommends 8-10 yrs)
• If any abrupt change in water quality occurs,
  you're able to recognize it so you can
  investigate the cause and respond to it
• Data can be useful in lobbying the city or county
  to support or dispute land use changes around
  your lake

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Lake Monitoring

• Water quality measurements (basic MPCA
  Assessments)
• Total Phosphorus
• Chlorophyll a
• Water clarity (secchi depth)

chemical component
biological component
physical component
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Phosphorus

• Limiting nutrient in lakes
• Means everything that plants and algae need to
  grow is available in excess (sunlight, warmth,
  water, nitrogen, etc.) except phosphorus
• Phosphorus is food for algae and plants
• More phosphorus more algae and plants
• Enters the lake from
• Agriculture - Improperly maintained septic
  systems
• Fertilizer - Boat motors in shallow areas
• Manure

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Chlorophyll-a

• The pigment that makes plants and algae green
• Measured in lakes to determine algal
  concentration
• Algae is important in lakes because it adds
  oxygen to the water as a by-product of
  photosynthesis. 
• On the other hand, if there is too much algae in
  a lake it can produce a foul odor and be
  unpleasant for swimming. 

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Secchi Depth

• A measurement of water transparency
• Transparency is how deep sunlight can penetrate
  through the water 
• Water transparency depends on the amount of
  particles in the water

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Relationships
These 3 measurements are used to determine
eutrophication in lakes
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Eutrophication

• Eutrophication is a natural process that a lake
  goes through over hundreds to thousands of
  years. 
• Natural eutrophication is also sometimes referred
  to as lake aging.

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Eutrophication

• Humans can speed up the process of eutrophication
  by adding excess nutrients and sediment quickly,
  where the lake will change trophic states in a
  matter of decades. 
• This type of eutrophication is called cultural
  eutrophication because humans cause it. 

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Phosphorus Exports
Feedlot 150 -450
Human Land Uses
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Relationships

• TP vs Chlorophyll-a
• Chlorophyll-a vs Secchi
• TP vs Secchi

ZOOM IN
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Secchi (ft)
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• In our region, just a small increase in
  phosphorus concentration can cause a noticeable
  decline in Secchi depth
• An increase from 10-20 ppb phosphorus corresponds
  to a 3-foot decline in Secchi depth

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16
13
10
7
3
TP ug/L
14 - 27
NLF Ecoregion
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Secchi

• In the southern lakes, a small increase in
  phosphorus does not cause such a noticeable
  decline in Secchi depth
• An increase from 90 to 100 ppb phosphorus
  corresponds to less than 1-foot decline in Secchi
  depth

Feet
23.0
19.7
16.4
13.0
9.8
6.6
3.3
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Protecting Lakes

• If Phosphorus inputs to the lake are reduced, the
  lake water quality can improve
• There are multiple examples in our program where
  lakes have witnessed this recovery occurring in
  the short-term (1-2 years) as well as the
  long-term (5-15 years)

• Examples of nutrient loading reductions
• Lake-wide septic upgrades
• Change in land-use practices
• Industrial and municipal loading reductions

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Sample Collection Technique

• Secchi Disk
• Integrated Sampler

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Lake ID Numbers

• Each lake has a unique ID number from the DNR

Sebie Lake 18-0161-00
County
Lake
Bay
Monitoring Site 201
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Site Selection

• The deepest spot on the lake that best represents
  the lake basin
• Most lakes have monitoring sites established by
  the MPCA
• Maps of your lake are available today with the
  sampling site marked

Monitoring Site 201
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Sample Kit Components

• Amber bottle
• Cooler
• 3. Temperature blank
• 4. Smallmouth plastic bottle
• 5. Sulfuric acid preservative
• 6. Integrated Sampler
• 7. Secchi disk
• 8. Ice pack
• 9. Sampling Field Procedures sheet
• 10. Sample Data / Chain of Custody / Physical
  Observations sheet

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Secchi Disk
Remove Sunglasses!

• Lower the disc until it disappears, note the
  depth of the rope
• Pull the disc up until you see it again, note the
  depth
• The average of these 2 is the reading

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Integrated Sampler
1. Rinse in lake
2. Insert
3. Fill
4. Plug
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Integrated Sampler
5. Fill Amber Bottle
6. Fill Plastic Bottle
8. Discard and repeat
7. Add acid
Then repeat the process for your chlorophyll-a
sample
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Sampling Field Procedures
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Sampling Field Procedures
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Chain of Custody
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Physical Observations
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Quality In Quality Out
Data Quality Control
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Spring Cleaning!
After winter storage, it is a good idea to clean
your sampler with baking soda (non-phosphorus
cleaner)
Do Rinse your sampler before and after use
Dont Store your sampler dirty or wet
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Quality Data Assurance

• Chlorophyll-a
• We are testing algae concentration
• Algae photosynthesize in the presence of light
  and multiply, causing your reading to get higher
• Solution Amber Glass Bottle
• Daphnia (tiny zooplankton) eat algae, causing
  your reading to be lower
• Solution Cool sample to 43ºF

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Quality Data Assurance

• Phosphorus
• We are testing phosphorus concentration, which is
  a measure of available nutrients for plants and
  algae
• Daphnia and other zooplankton are in your water

• Solution add acid to stop all metabolism
• Solution Cool sample to 43ºF

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Phosphorus Sensitivity

• For lake monitoring the units most frequently
  utilized and observed are
• ppb ug/l
• Parts per Billion micrograms per liter

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Phosphorus Sensitivity

• 1 one ear of corn in a cornfield that is fifty
  thousand acres in size would represent 1 part per
  billion (ppb).
• Thats a cornfield 12 miles long by 6 miles wide.
• Our instrumentation can find 3-5 ears of corn in
  that large area (3-5 ug/L or ppb)

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Phosphorus Sensitivity

• Demonstrates
• The potency of the substances we measure. Small
  increases in TP (ppb) can have pronounced affects
  on water quality.
• Extremely high level of sensitivity.
• It is extremely easy for sample contamination to
  occur.
• Fingers
• Drop cap
• Chunk of something in the water
• Dirty integrated sampler

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Quality Data Assurance

• What you can do
• Always take your sample from the same site in the
  lake
• Make sure your sample gets to the lab within 48
  hours
• Properly clean and store your integrated sampler
• Keep your cooler cold inside with a frozen
  icepack

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Sample Transport Schedule
Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation
District 7118 Clearwater Road ? Baxter, MN
56425 Telephone [phone]   Office Hours ?
Monday-Friday  ? 800am to 430pm
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Sample Dates

• Collect your water sample on Sunday afternoon or
  Monday morning
• Make sure you get your cooler to the SWCD office
  by noon Monday for the courier
• Please take a printed schedule home with you
  today
• June 1
• June 15
• July 20
• August 17
• September 21

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Sample Drop Off

• Refill your sample cooler with new supplies
  provided at the drop-off site.
• Take your cooler of supplies home to use for the
  next sampling date.
• The sampling date schedule is provided today

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www.rmbel.info
Data Access Analysis
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Data Sent to MPCA (STORET)

• RMB Labs submits your data to the MPCA statewide
  database (STORET) at the end of the monitoring
  season for you
• This assures that the data you collected is used
  by the state for statewide assessments
• The state does not have the time or staff to
  collect all the data that you are collecting

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DNR Lakefinder
Your data is posted to the DNR lakefinder at
the end of the monitoring year.
Click on go under lake water quality to see
your results
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Data Use

• Because this data is available online and through
  STORET, it can be used for any project at any
  level of government
• Lake Association
• Lake Management Plan
• Lake Vegetation Plan (DNR)
• City Planning
• County Water Plan
• Statewide Assessments
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

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You can make a difference

• Thank you to all the volunteer monitors for
  taking the time and energy to collect water
  quality data
• Your data goes directly to the Minnesota
  Pollution Control Agency at the end of each year
  for use in state assessments
• The state does not have the time or staff to
  collect all the data that you are collecting
• Everyone benefits from clean lakes!
• Recreational enjoyment
• Great fishing
• Lake property values

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Stewardship

• Stewardship is an attitude.
• It is the understanding that what we do on land
  and in the water affects the lake.
• It is recognition that lakes are vulnerable and
  that in order to make them thrive, citizens, both
  individually and collectively, must assume
  responsibility for their care.

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Take 10 minutes to get some food and well answer
any questions about the training while youre
eating
Dinner Break
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Part 2 Understanding Lake Data
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Lake Monitoring Plan

• In order to get a good seasonal average, you can
  monitor once a month, May (June) September
• This schedule corresponds with the growing season
  in lakes

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Lake Monitoring Plan

• Different types of algae come and go throughout
  the summer depending on conditions

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Lake Monitoring Plan

• Different types of algae come and go throughout
  the summer depending on conditions

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Lake Monitoring Plan

• Phosphorus levels change throughout the season
• Big Cormorant, 2006 ranged from 11-26 ppb

Spring Turnover
Fall Turnover
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Lake Monitoring Plan

• Weekly Secchi disk readings can show you dynamics
  occurring in the lake

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Each Lake is Different
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Each Lake is Different
Geographic Location
Human Influences
Geology
Topography
Latitude, Longitude, Altitude
Sewage, Agric. Mining
Shape of Basin
Composition of Substrate
Climate
Primary Nutrients
Drainage Area
Depth
Area
Bottom
Precip.
Wind
Isolation
Nature of Bottom Deposits
Transparency
Oxygen Penet. Utilization
Development of Littoral Region
Light Penetration
Inflow of Allocthanous Material
Heat Penetration Stratification
Seasonal Cycle Circulation
TROPHIC NATURE OF THE LAKE PRODUCTIVITY
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Comparing Lakes

• Because each lake is different, it is difficult
  to compare lakes to each other
• It is best to compare your own lake to itself
  over time
• Basic lake comparisons
• Trophic State Index
• Ecoregion

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Carlsons Trophic State Index

• TSI is a measurement of overall lake
  productivity.
• Converts values for phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and
  secchi depth into comparable numbers
• Trophic states are defined divisions of a
  continuum in water quality.

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Carlsons Trophic State Index
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Lake Trophic States
Oligotrophic
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MN Ecoregions

• Lakes and streams in the different parts of the
  state have different physical and chemical
  properties
• Ecoregions are a way to group similar conditions
  affecting lake type
• An ecoregion is a large expanse of land
  containing a geographically distinct collection
  of plants, animals, natural communities and
  environmental conditions

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MN Ecoregions
Based on interquartile range (25th-75th
percentile for Ecoregion Reference Lakes, MPCA
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Data Access Analysis
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Limnology Primer
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Volunteer Monitor Resources
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Why Monitor Annually?

• Analyze long-term trends to see if your water
  quality is improving or declining (MPCA
  recommends 8-10 yrs)
• If any abrupt change in water quality occurs,
  you're able to recognize it so you can
  investigate the cause and respond to it
• Data can be useful in lobbying the city or county
  to support or dispute land use changes around
  your lake

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Property Value

• A study conducted on northern Minnesota Lakes
  confirmed that lake water quality affects
  property values.
• For a 3 foot decrease in water clarity, prices
  were reduced up to 594 per shoreline foot.
• For a 3 foot increase in clarity, prices
  increased up to 423 per shoreline foot
• Studies conducted elsewhere in the country show
  similar results.
• This can be a significant financial loss or gain
  to a community as well as the individual
  homeowner.

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Questions? Comments?
Enjoy the lakes!