According
to the USACE web site,
May
water-quality monitoring results are now available. Fourteen of the 25
monitoring stations had sufficient water for sampling. Total P averaged
185 ppb lakewide (compared to 111 ppb in April) and
52 ppb at nearshore stations (compared to 33 ppb in
April). Total suspended solids (TSS) averaged
68 ppm lakewide (compared
to 35 ppm in April) and 14 ppm at nearshore stations (compared
to 6 ppm in April).
The
monthly submerged-aquatic-vegetation (SAV) survey was
completed last week. Twenty six sites had sufficient water for
sampling, and all sites had water clarity conducive to plant growth (secchi depth > 50% of total depth). The macroalga Chara remains
the dominant SAV species and was found at 15 of the
26 sites. The vascular SAV species Vallisneria americana
was present 8 of the 16 sites sampled near the northern and western shorelines
but continues to be absent in the south (10 sites sampled). Other
observations indicate that Vallisneria beds continue to expand along the
western shoreline, but recent declines in lake level have exposed some of these
beds.
Approximately
2000 tires that had been illegally dumped on