WISER LAKE -- WHATCOM COUNTY: 1997

Wiser Lake is located three miles southwest of Lynden. It consists of two basin, connected by a narrow isthmus, which is crossed by Meridian Road. The lake has no surface inlets, and drains via Wiser Lake Creek to the Nooksack River. Wiser Lake was monitored by Ecology staff only.

Size (acres)                         103
Maximum Depth (feet)                  11
Mean Depth (feet)                      6
Lake Volume (acre-feet)              618
Drainage Area (square miles)        3.75
Altitude (feet)                       50
Shoreline Length (miles)             2.3

Contour Map

Source of morphometric data: Water Supply Bulletins 42, 43, and 57.


VOLUNTEER-COLLECTED SECCHI DATA
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Date      Temperature      Water      %Cloud Recent        Secchi Lake  
(Y/M/D)    (C)   (F)  pH   Color      Cover  Rain   Wind   (ft)   Ht(in) Abbrev. Comments
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
        STATION 1
97/09/08                   Pea-green     0   None   Light   1.7     0.0  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
   
LABORATORY RESULTS
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                    Total       Total                   Fecal Col. Bacteria  Turb-    Suspended Solids           
                    Phosphorus  Nitrogen   Chlorophyll  (colonies/100 mL)    idity    Total   Non-Volatile   Color  
Date         Strata (ug/L)      (mg/L)     (ug/L)       Site 1    Site 2     (NTU)    (mg/L)  (mg/L)         (Pt-Co)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
        STATION 1
97/06/11       E      58        1.02J                     12         6        3.9                                
97/06/11       H                                                                                                 
97/09/08       E     477        1.22       98.3            4        11       16.0                                
97/09/08       H                                                                                                 
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
E=epilimnion composite, H=hypolimnion composite.  Remarks codes: U = Below detection limits; J = Estimate.


SUMMARY OF VOLUNTEER SURVEY


There was no survey response for 1997.

FIELD OBSERVATIONS OF ECOLOGY STAFF
6-11-97  Fec#1 is directly across the launch at the swimming dock; fec#2 is at the
launch.  

9-8-97  The blue-green bloom is horrific.  No noticeable macrophyte growth in the
lake--most likely due to high algal growth.  

TROPHIC STATUS
Estimated Trophic State:                                 Eutrophic
Mean Trophic State Index (Secchi):                       70N* (Eutrophic)
Mean Trophic State Index (Total Phosphorus):             93 (Eutrophic)
Mean Trophic State Index (Chlorophyll a):                76 (Eutrophic)

*The calculated TSI is an estimate.  The Secchi disk hit bottom (B), entered the weeds
(W), or there were too few valid readings (N), or the calculation was based on
qualified data (J), or TSIP was based on spring data (S).

SUMMARY AND EXPLANATION OF TROPHIC STATE ASSESSMENT
Wiser Lake is a very productive lake.  Blue-green blooms were quite noticeable.  All
TSI values and observations support an eutrophic assessment.  

COMMENTS FROM 97/07/01 AQUATIC PLANT SURVEY
Brrr!  Cloudy, breezy.  Water brown / green with blue-green algae on surface and
long-skinny suspended algae in water.  Muddy / organic substrate.  Many plants - P.
crispus dominant.  Bery nutrient rich.  Nice riparian areas along some of shore.
Water smells bad.  Plants grow out far from shore, wetland area at west end.  Maximum
depth of plant growth:  1.5M. 

AQUATIC PLANT LIST  (This list may be from multiple years and sources.)
Ceratophyllum demersum (Coontail; hornwort)  Chara sp. (muskwort)  
Eleocharis sp. (spike-rush)  Elodea canadensis (common elodea)  
Elodea sp. (waterweed)  Epilobium hirsutum (fiddle-grass)  Lemna
minor (duckweed)  Najas flexilis (common naiad)  Nuphar polysepala 
(spatter-dock, yellow water-lily)  Nymphaea odorata (fragrant waterlily)  
Phalaris arundinacia (reed canarygrass)  Potamogeton crispus (curly leaf
pondweed)  Potamogeton pectinatus (sago pondweed)  Potamogeton sp (thin
leaved) (thin leaved pondweed)  Potentilla palustris (purple (marsh)
cinquefoil)  Scirpus sp. (bulrush)  Solanum sp. (nightshade)  
Spirodela polyrhiza (great duckweed)  Typha sp. (cat-tail)  unknown
plant (unknown)

Data collected and provided by Washington Department of Ecology's Lake Monitoring Program (Maggie Bell-McKinnon, phone 360- 407-6124).

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