ßIn
some watersheds, up to 80% of phosphorus loading is attributed to
roads
•Non-detailed survey paved roads
•Detailed survey camp roads
The last component I will
discuss is roads and their impact on water quality.
Roads are impervious
surfaces that provide a direct path for water run off and can deposit
nutrients and contaminants into a lake.
In fact, in some
watersheds, up to 80% of phosphorus loading is attributed to roads.
CEAT conducted a
non-detailed road survey on paved roads were we simple measured the length
and width of each road while at the same time looking for problematic areas,
such as site with evidence of erosion.
A more detailed survey was
conducted on camp roads (dirt roads) within the watershed.Camp roads can be especially
detrimental to water quality because they are composed of sediments that
hold large quantities of phosphorus.Heavy rains can then carry these sediments into the lake, adding
those nutrients to the water.