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| Title | Water Quality Assessments of Selected Lakes within Washington State: 1998 | |||
| Month-Year Published | December 2000 | |||
| Online Availability |
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| Short Description |
In 1998 the Washington State Department of Ecology embarked on a different approach to assessing lake water quality. Recent methods in lake monitoring focused on general assessments and long-term trends in water clarity. Although trend data are crucial in the documentation of declining or improving water quality through time, they provide little information as to whether or not beneficial uses of a lake are impaired. The new approach in 1998 is an attempt to evaluate the condition of the beneficial uses on certain lakes throughout the state and to recommend lake-specific nutrient criteria for those lakes in order to protect or restore the uses. (Also see abstract below) | |||
| Publication Number | 00-03-039 | |||
| Author(s) | Smith, A.K., D. Hallock, and S. O'Neal Smith, A.K., D. Hallock, and S. O'Neal | |||
| Print Availability | ||||
| Number of pages | 17 pp. + app (251 total) | |||
| Keywords | assessment, beneficial use, fish, lake, monitoring, order, plan, standards, study, trend, water, water quality, water quality standards | |||
| Subject Waterbodies |
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| Abstract | Long Description |
In 1998 the Washington State Department of Ecology embarked on a different approach to assessing lake water quality. Recent methods in lake monitoring focused on general assessments and long-term trends in water clarity. Although trend data are crucial in the documentation of declining or improving water quality through time, they provide little information as to whether or not beneficial uses of a lake are impaired. The original intent of the federal Clean Water Act was to protect the beneficial uses (e.g., swimable, drinkable, fishable) of our waters. The new approach in 1998 is an attempt to evaluate the condition of the beneficial uses on certain lakes throughout the state and to recommend lake-specific nutrient criteria for those lakes in order to protect or restore the uses. New methodology was developed to evaluate various parameters on some of our monitored lakes. Monitoring concentrated on assessing habitat, fish, wildlife, zooplankton, aquatic plants, watershed, water chemistry, and user perception. Beneficial uses were determined by evaluating the user perception surveys and talking with conservation district representatives and the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife biologists. A lake-specific criterion was then recommended to protect or improve conditions on the lake. Lake specific criteria were determined using procedures outlined in Washington′s Water Quality Standards (WAC 173-201A). If proposed criteria are codified into the WAC, then, should they ever be exceeded in a particular lake, measures could be taken either to reduce nutrient concentrations or to conduct a more detailed study in order to refine the criteria. |
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