W is for Water Quality

Back in September I wrote an article about the Lake George Association's Floating Classroom on Lake George, and the water quality tests that students can do. Keeping the lake clear is important to all who use it and who live near it.

But Lake George is only one of many Adirondack lakes whose water quality is important to residents and recreational users alike. Checking and maintaining the quality of all lakes in the Adirondacks is an important undertaking, and one that Adirondack residents can help do.

For the fifth year, the Adirondack Lakes Assessment Program is providing water quality testing at many Adirondack lakes. This year the Residents' Committee to Protect the Adirondacks and the Adirondack Watersheds Institute at Paul Smiths College in Paul Smiths, New York have teamed up to administer this Adirondack Lake Assessment Program. According to the ALAP, this program is a practical and affordable way for individuals or groups to start a volunteer water quality monitoring program in their area. It is designed to provide the tools and training to scientifically sample lake water and track trends over time. Any groups and individual who is concerned about the water quality of a particular Adirondack lake can join the program.

Volunteers monitor their lake once a month for three months beginning in June. Before beginning the program, volunteers are trained in water quality measurement and sample collection techniques. Samples are sent to the Adirondack Watersheds Institute for analysis, and a report is issued annually for each body of water being tested.

There is a one-time $250.00 start-up cost, which includes a Secchi disk* to measure water transparency, and bottles and filters for collecting samples. Lake water is monitored for transparency, chlorophyll-a, Ph, phosphorus, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen.

There is also a $90 fee to cover the costs of lab analysis of samples. A limited number of free testing kits are also available for the 2002 season to those who are willing to commit to monitoring a lake or pond for the next three years. This year nearly 50 lakes and ponds have been enrolled, and space is still available for this season's program.

The Adirondack Lake Assessment Program has two important goals. One is to provide those concerned about a particular body of water with tools to monitor its water quality. The second is to form a profile of the water quality in lakes and ponds across the Adirondacks. For that reason, the Adirondack Lake Assessment Program asks that volunteers make a five year participation commitment.

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