Gary Schuster provided the following notes from Saturday’s Water Quality Meeting (thx Gary!)
Minutes for Water Quality Meeting of May 30th
Grant County weighed in with an initial report on the results of monitoring the lake for phosphorous, nitrogen, ph and temperature. This is in response to concern that their fish pens on the West side of the lake may be contributing to new aquatic growth that has been described, and in some cases photographed, by a number of lake residents. The lake was monitored at the fishnets, the mouth of the white River, the Lake center and the Wenatchee riverhead. We were assured that the monitoring revealed phosphorous well below the level of environmental concern. A Draft of this study will be available in June. Continued monitoring will occur from June to September through 2010. In 2014 the use of fish pens by Grant County will be replaced with retention ponds on the White River.
Chelan PUD is also monitoring the Lake in what appears to be in the same manner as Grant County and also reporting nothing of concern environmentally. It was admitted that the Lake is changing but there is no clear answer as to why. However sampling will continue. In addition volunteers are being recruited for long term monitoring, becoming trained in measuring water clarity, periphyton (slime), aquatic plants, and storm water effluent.
One Lake resident noted that, after ten years of testing his lake drinking water, the fecal coliform part failed for the first time twice this year. There was a discussion as to the possibility of old failing septic systems. Not all residences are connected to the sewer system. It was noted that testing to differentiate between human and animal fecal coliform is expensive and there is currently no monitoring.
The meeting ended with mention of the upcoming shoreline Master Program. The public review draft is due June 4. Of most concern to us will be public access, piers & docks, and riparian areas.
All reports and conclusions will be posted by the various agencies on The Lake Wenatchee Info newsletter.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ive seen several homes on the lake with mysterious pipes headed deep in the lake and they are older cabins with lots of use. Im sure someone is still pooping into the lake. I would look at the lake’s source. maybee something is going on in the rivers. maybee its polution from two rivers sand pits and quarry. maybee it has something to do with one of the sources coming from a volcano? who knows what type of stuff glacier peak spills into the river and then sits in the lake.
In response to the “mysterious pipes” mentioned in the previous comment, a large number of lakefront homes draw their domestic water supply from the lake, over 110 of them by one count, and that is almost certainly what those pipes are.
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