| Water Quality and Land Use Assessment of the Lake Wesserunsett Watershed |
| Objectives of the Study |
| Determine current status of Lake Wesserunsett | |
| Identify possible pollution sources | |
| Suggest techniques for maintaining water quality |
| Study Methods |
| Watershed Assessment | ||
| Development | ||
| Land use | ||
| Water Quality Assessment | ||
| What is a watershed? |
| Area of land in which all runoff travels towards a body of water |
| Outline of Presentation |
| SECTION 1: | |||
| General Characteristics of Lake Wesserunsett | |||
| Development | |||
| Geographic Information System (GIS) | |||
| Land Use | |||
| INTERMISSION • | |||
| SECTION 2: | |||
| Erosion Potential & Septic Suitability Models | |||
| Water Chemistry | |||
| Recommendations | |||
| QUESTIONS & ANSWERS • | |||
| Characteristics of Lake Wesserunsett Catherine Thompson |
| Overview of Lake Wesserunsett |
| Physical description | |
| Geology | |
| Biology |
| Lake Wesserunsett |
| Area: 1,446 acres | |
| 4 Inlets | |
| 1 Outlet | |
| Northwest prevailing winds | |
| Bathymetry |
| Mean Depth: 12 ft | |
| Maximum Depth: 22 ft | |
| Relatively flat and shallow basin | |
| Geology |
| Glacially formed | ||
| Laurentide ice sheet | ||
| Southeast movement | ||
| Plutonic and sedimentary rock basin | ||
| Trophic Level |
| Oligotrophic | |||
| Nutrient poor | |||
| Young | |||
| Eutrophic | |||
| Nutrient rich | |||
| Mature | |||
| Mesotrophic | |||
| Intermediate stage | |||
| Lake Wesserunsett | |||
| Cultural Eutrophication |
| Human acceleration of eutrophication | ||
| Increased nutrient loading | ||
| Phosphorus | ||
| Phytoplankton |
| Floating photosynthetic organisms | ||
| Base of food chain | ||
| Seasonal fluctuations | ||
| Algal blooms | ||
| Low oxygen | ||
| Green | ||
| Cloudy | ||
| Macrophytes |
| Rooted plants | |||
| Oxygen production | |||
| Nutrient cycling | |||
| Invasive species | |||
| Fish Populations |
| Warm water fishery | ||
| Stocking | ||
| Alewife population | ||
| Effects of Development on Lake Wesserunsett Water Quality |
| Karalyn A. Parzych |
| Areas of Development |
| Residences | |
| Septic systems | |
| Roads | |
| Buffer strips |
| Negative Effects of Residential Land |
| Direct source of nutrients from: | ||
| Lawn and garden fertilizer | ||
| Household products | ||
| Septic systems | ||
| Increased runoff due to impervious surfaces: | ||
| Driveways and rooftops | ||
| Results from Residence Count |
| Watershed: 533 houses | ||
| 45% are seasonal | ||
| 55% are year-round | ||
| Shoreline: 222 houses | ||
| 68% are seasonal | ||
| 32% are year-round | ||
| Comparison to 1971 Residence Count |
| Few houses have been built along the shoreline since 1971 | ||
| Shoreline houses: | ||
| 1971: 98% seasonal | ||
| 2000: 68% seasonal | ||
| Population Density in
Watershed (people per square mile) |
| Population Trends in Madison |
| In 1971 Õ 4,278 people | |
| In 1999 Õ 4,895 people | |
| High concentration of population around lakeshore causes great impacts on water quality, especially in summer months | |
| Effects of Septic Systems on Lake Water Quality |
| Madison Septic Regulations |
| Apply to new or repaired systems | ||
| Detailed site evaluation required for new systems | ||
| Required setback distances: | ||
| Septic tank: 100 feet | ||
| Disposal field: 100-300 feet | ||
| Volume and location requirements | ||
| Adverse Effects of Septic Systems |
| Have high potential for phosphorus loading from: | ||
| Household chemicals | ||
| Detergents | ||
| Organic matter | ||
| Septic System Conclusions |
| Regulations are essential to prevent adverse effects on lake water quality | |
| Compliance to these regulations is encouraged to protect lake water quality | |
| We recommend an extensive survey of all systems |
| Effects of Roads on Lake Wesserunsett Water Quality |
| Ideal Camp Road |
| An Ideal Road |
| Evaluation of Roads |
| Surface | |
| Ditching | |
| Culverts | |
| Water diversions | |
| Erosion potential |
| Road Quality |
| High Risk Risk Acceptable | |
| Kincaid Road Drake Road Sierra Road | |
| Wesserunsett Road Teal Road Bass Road | |
| Merganser Road Loon Road Upper Section of FR #1 | |
| Naomi Road Bagley Road Grange Road | |
| Hunnewell Road Theater Road Olive Road | |
| Lower Section of FR #1 FR #17 Heron Road | |
| Whittier Farm Road Laney Road Hayden Road | |
| Mallard Road Foss Road | |
| Beach Road Davis Road | |
| FR #18 | |
| Merrill Road | |
| Slide 32 |
| Road Recommendations |
| General order of repair: | ||
| 1) Crown | ||
| 2) Ditching | ||
| 3) Water diversions & culverts | ||
| 4) Surface composition | ||
| Basic repair and continued upkeep of even acceptable roads is essential | ||
| Effects of Buffer Strips on Lake Wesserunsett Water Quality |
| Buffer Strips |
| Slide 36 |
| Development Conclusions |
| Has high potential to adversely affect lake water quality | |
| Proper regulation and constant monitoring of development is necessary |
| Geographic Information Systems |
| Geographic Information Systems: GIS |
| Definition | |
| Research goals | |
| The GIS advantage | |
| Slide 40 |
| Slide 41 |
| Data Layers Generated |
| Foundational Data | ||
| Roads | ||
| Rivers and streams | ||
| Elevation contours | ||
| Slope | ||
| Soils map | ||
| Land use 1961 | ||
| Land use 2000 | ||
| Watershed boundary | ||
| Water sampling sites | ||
| Derived Data | ||
| Road quality | ||
| Erosion hazard | ||
| Septic suitability | ||
| Land use conversions | ||
| GIS Process |
| Data | |
| Aerial Photos | |
| Slope Map | |
| Soils Map | |
| Recommendations | |
| Land use | |
| Erosion | |
| Septic systems |
| Slide 44 |
| Slide 45 |
| Slide 46 |
| Slide 47 |
| Functions of GIS in this study |
| Answering research questions | ||
| Has land use changed over time? | ||
| Are some areas more likely than others to contribute to cultural eutrophication? | ||
| Developing management recommendations | ||
| How do these answers relate to water quality? | ||
| How can we use this knowledge to effectively reduce human impact on the watershed? | ||
| Land Use in the Lake Wesserunsett Watershed |
| Land Use Assessment |
| Land use types have varying effects on lake water quality due to different vegetation cover | |
| Vegetation cover influences surface runoff and erosion | |
| Land use patterns and temporal trends essential to evaluate ecosystem health |
| Slide 51 |
| Slide 52 |
| Slide 53 |
| Wetlands |
| Natural buffer for nutrients and sediment | |
| Covered 2% of the watershed area in 2000 | |
| 34% of lake shoreline is wetland | |
| Forest |
| Definition: closed canopy forest | |
| Reduces surface runoff and nutrient loading | |
| 54% of area in 2000 | |
| 9% more forest in 2000 than 1961 | |
| Disturbed Forest |
| Definition: thin or patchy forest canopy | |
| Shows areas of recent logging | |
| 8% more disturbed forest in 2000 | |
| Logging can increase runoff, nutrient load | |
| Slide 57 |
| Reverting Land |
| Definition: land with shrubs and small trees | |
| Little significance: makes up 0.5% of area in 2000 |
| Cleared Land |
| Open fields with no trees | |
| More surface runoff | |
| 17% less cleared land in 2000 | |
| Golf course area: 126 acres | |
| Limited agricultural land | |
| Slide 60 |
| Commercial Land |
| Classifies commercial property | |
| Impervious surfaces increase runoff | |
| 0.4% of watershed area in 2000 | |
| Lakewood, antique shop, logging company |
| Roads |
| Roads fragment ecosystem | |
| Large area of impervious surface | |
| 3% of the watershed area in 2000 |
| Shoreline Residential |
| Land along shoreline with houses | ||
| Shoreline residences impact water quality | ||
| 140% more shoreline residential in 2000 | ||
| Greatest increase of all land use classes | ||
| "Runoff and" |
| Runoff and Phosphorus load for forest and residential land |
| Land Use Conclusions |
| Wetlands: 34% of lake’s shoreline | ||
| Forest: 54% area of watershed | ||
| Disturbed forest: areas of recent logging | ||
| Cleared Land: 17% less in 2000 | ||
| Shoreline Residential: 140% more in 2000 | ||
| Serious threat to future water quality | ||
| Intermission |