Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP)
Water testing of Devils and Round Lakes is being done by volunteers from the Lakes Preservation League under the supervision of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The LPL is one of over 100 volunteer groups participating in the statewide Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP).
The CLMP monitoring activities begin shortly after ice-out each year. Starting in early April, the volunteers collect water samples to measure total phosphorus in their lakes during spring turnover, which generally begins within two weeks of ice-out. Transparency monitoring begins in mid-May and continues to mid-September. Volunteers will measure Secchi disk transparency weekly, or every two weeks, over the entire summer monitoring period. The first sets of chlorophyll samples are collected during mid-May and chlorophyll monitoring continues once a month through September. Late-summer total phosphorus sampling occurs during September, or late August for the lakes in the Upper Peninsula. Aquatic plants generally can be identified and mapped over the entire summer season.
The Lakes Preservation League also tests for dissolved oxygen using a TSI meter purchased by the LPL for use on the two lakes. A sensor measures the water temperature and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water at various depths. Data is recorded on a chart and a graph and sent to the DEQ at the end of the season.
Michigan's unique geographical location provides its citizens with a wealth of freshwater resources including over 11,000 inland lakes. In addition to being valuable ecological resources, lakes provide tremendous aesthetic and recreational value for the people of Michigan.
As more and more people use the lakes and surrounding watersheds, the potential for pollution problems and use impairment increases dramatically. Reliable information, including water quality data, levels of use, and use impairment, are essential for determining the health of a lake and for developing a management plan to protect the lake. As the users and primary beneficiaries of Michigan's lake resources, citizens must take an active role in obtaining this information and managing their lakes.
Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps-MDEQ) and Michigan
Lake and Stream Associations, Inc. (ML&SA)
have partnered to form the CLMP . The primary purpose of this cooperative program is to help citizen volunteers monitor indicators of water quality in their lake and document changes in lake quality over time.
CLMP Moniters:
• Devils Lake: Cheryl and John Zuelke
• Round Lake: Joel Johnson and Bruce King
Lake quality is influenced by many factors such as the amount of recreational use it receives, shoreline development, watershed runoff, and water quality. Lake water quality is a general term covering many aspects of lake chemistry and biology. The health of a lake is determined by its water quality.
Problems most commonly cited by lake residents, such as excessive plant growth, algal blooms, and mucky bottom sediments, are caused by water quality factors that lead to increased lake fertility or productivity. Productivity refers to the amount of plant and animal life that can be produced within the lake. Excessive productivity can significantly shorten the life of the lake.
The gradual increase of lake productivity over time is a natural process called eutrophication, or lake aging. A primary objective of most lake management plans is to slow down eutrophication by reducing the input of plant nutrients, such as phosphorus, and sediments to the lakes.
Lake scientists have developed a variety of numerical indexes based on water quality data to express lake productivity on a continuous numerical scale. The widely used Carlson Trophic State Index (TSI) incorporates water clarity, or transparency, as measured by a Secchi disk; the algal plant pigment chlorophyll a; and total phosphorus as indicators of lake productivity. The CLMP was designed to provide data on these parameters.
The CLMP provides sampling methods, training, workshops, technical support, quality control, and laboratory assistance for volunteers to monitor their lake for these indicators of lake productivity. Volunteers may then classify their lake according to its level of productivity, or trophic state, using Carlson's TSI. Long-term monitoring of these parameters on a consistent and regular basis provides the data needed to recognize changes or trends in lake productivity.
Detailed information about the CLMP program is available online. Visit the CMP web page here.
