Posted on January 9, 2021
By Patrick Goodwin, Certified Lake Manager and Aquatic Research Scientist Why should you use science when managing lakes? You might have heard the saying; lake management is 90% art and 10% science. There seems to be a lot of truth to this statement. Many decisions and recommendations for lakes and ponds are made by intuition,... Read More
Read more →
Posted on August 6, 2020
Golf course ponds and lakes suffer from many common problems that are often made more difficult when maintaining turf to the highest standards. Nutrient over-enrichment from constant fertilization of turf promotes the growth of algae blooms. These blooms increase the turbidity of waterbodies which can smother aquatic plants and limit invertebrate and fish habitats. The... Read More
Read more →
Posted on July 9, 2020
By Patrick Goodwin, Certified Lake Manager and Aquatic Research Scientist Nutrient over-enrichment of waters by urban, agricultural, and industrial development has promoted the growth of cyanobacteria as harmful algae blooms (HABs). These blooms increase the turbidity of waterbodies which can smother aquatic plants and limit invertebrate and fish habitats. The die-off of blooms may deplete... Read More
Read more →
Posted on June 23, 2020
The sediments in your pond or lake may be the cause of recurring or toxic algae blooms. We all know these blooms are a major source of frustration for property owners and those who manage them. Phosphorus is the nutrient that feeds these blooms, but it is not always obvious where the phosphorus is coming... Read More
Read more →
Posted on June 9, 2020
Oxygen debt is the difference between the amount of oxygen your lake or pond needs each day to stay in balance vs what it has. When your dissolved oxygen meter reads 0 mg/L, we know there is a problem. Unfortunately, a meter cannot tell you how much oxygen debt the lake is in. Oxygen meters... Read More
Read more →
Posted on May 22, 2020
Are you experiencing issues caused by low water quality in your waterbody? They cannot be solved by water quality modeling, but the solutions will become evident or supportable because of modeling. There are many reasons why water quality models are applied in lake management, but, in general, they can be broken down into six categories... Read More
Read more →
Posted on April 28, 2020
The frequency, duration, and intensity of harmful algal blooms increase year to year. Stress on waterbodies increases as lakes age, watersheds are developed, and climates warm. This brings great socio-economic losses and the need for better management strategies. The solutions require us to focus on root causes (i.e., nutrients) instead of expensive reactive management strategies.... Read More
Read more →
Posted on February 12, 2020
There is no one size fits all approach to pond, lake, reservoir, canal or marina restoration. Many waterbodies require a combination of tactics to bring about the desired results both short and long-term. Knowing what restoration tools are going to be best suited to meet the objectives requires good information on the issues at hand... Read More
Read more →