Yahara Lakes 2018 Water Quality Monitoring Results

Overview

From May to September of 2018, water quality monitoring took place at piers and beaches around the five Yahara lakes. Volunteers measured near-shore water clarity, air and water temperature, and noted several visual observations. Visual observations included presence of algal blooms (green/blue-green), floating plant debris, swimmers, waterfowl, wave intensity, and general water appearance. Volunteers report conditions on our website, Lakeforecast.org. The website displays updated data in real time.

Highlights

• 79 near-shore and 7 offshore monitoring stations on all five Yahara lakes (Figure 1)
• Weekly off-shore measurement of Secchi depth on all five lakes
• Measured temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles on all five lakes (seven sites total)
• Weekly monitoring continued at all 25 public beaches
• 44% increase in number of condition reports from 2017 (Table 1)
• Collected continuous near-shore temperature measurements at 17 sites on lakes Mendota, Monona, and Waubesa, and Kegonsa
• Implemented E. coli sampling and cyanobacteria toxin testing pilots
• Averaged 2.3 condition reports per site each week across all sites
• Continued weekly Weekend Lake Reports with over 77,000 views on social media