Projects

The Connecticut Federation of Lakes
c/o Chris Mayne
30 Mason St
Coventry, CT 06238
cmayne@ecosystemconsulting.com

Volunteers Needed to Take Secchi Disk Measurements

To Our Members:

Lakes are a wonderful resource, enhancing the lives of the people that live and recreate on them. Lakes also advance local and state economies. We need to preserve the quality of Connecticut lakes and ponds to maintain the level of enjoyment we get from them. In order to preserve our lakes and ponds we need activism at each lake and for people to get involved in understanding the lakes that they are near. One step of preservation is monitoring and observing the waterbody. Monitoring can help to illuminate current and / or future problems that may occur on the lake. The point of lake monitoring is to help prevent problems from becoming too large by catching them early through observing changes in the lake over time. Currently, all of the New England states have a volunteer monitoring program except for Connecticut. Therefore, the Connecticut Federation of Lakes would like to initiate a state-wide volunteer lake monitoring program to estimate the status of Connecticut lakes and to get more people involved in the care of their lakes.
Because this program is just beginning and will be dependent on the efforts of volunteers we want to keep it simple. The Secchi disk depth measurement (named after it's inventor and pronounced "Secky") is a standard estimate of water quality, providing a wealth of information about a lake from a simple measurement. The disk is eight inches in diameter and has four quadrants, two white and two black. The disk is simply lowered into the water column to the depth where the disk just begins to disappear from sight. This provides a measurement of the transparency of the water column. The Secchi disk depth can be reduced by water color and turbidity. Turbidity in the water column may be attributed to algae and / or floating debris / particulates. The Secchi disk depth is also affected by the depth, shape, and size of the waterbody, thus, each lake has a Secchi disk depth that is unique. Comparing Secchi disk depth within a lake over the season and between years allows observers to see declines or improvements in water quality. Collecting Secchi disk depths may be the start of greater activism on your lake and in Connecticut with regards to protecting and restoring our lakes.
We are looking for lake volunteers to participate in this program by providing the CFL with Secchi disk depth data. Secchi disk depths should be taken once every two - four weeks at the deepest site on the lake throughout the summer and into the early fall (May through October). Detailed instructions of how to take the measurement will be provided to participants. Those lakes wishing to participate but do not have a Secchi disk will be loaned a disk from the CFL. We are letting our members know about this program before non-member lakes as we only have a limited number of disks available. Please, only one disk per lake. Disks will be given out on a first come first serve basis and are to be returned when volunteers are no longer taking measurements. All data collected will be given to the CT DEP and sent to the NALMS Secchi Dip-in program. A summary report explaining the results will be written and shared with participants at the end of the year.
This is a chance not only to understand Connecticut lakes on a state level, but for you to get to know your lake better. In addition, this is an opportunity for the CFL to help out our members and the lakes of Connecticut on a local level. This program will only be successful by the work of dedicated volunteers. Most volunteer lake programs begin with just a few participating lakes and after several years grow to cover a fair percentage of the state's lakes. Therefore, it will take a few pioneer lakes to get the program started.
If you are interested in participating in this program please contact Chris Mayne at the address at the top of the page. Interested volunteers will be sent the appropriate information to get them started.

Respectfully,
The Connecticut Federation of Lakes