Comparative Limnology of the Eight Eastern 2005 - 2011

John D Halfman Environmental Studies Program Department of Geoscience Finger Lakes Institute 7th Annual Finger Lakes Research Conference Research Focus: Watershed  Lake Interactions Impact of Land Use & Bedrock Geology Bedrock Land Use

Limestone vs. Shales & Sandstones Forested vs. Agricultural Sedimentary Rocks Landscapes • Sampling Schedule Sampling Scheme – Since 2005 – Monthly: May through Oct – At Least Two Deep-Water Sites • Parameters – CTD Cast (SeaBird SBE-25) • Cond, Temp, Depth, Turb, Chlor, DO, pH – Secchi Disc Depth

– Surface & Bottom Water Analyses • Total Phosphates Since 1994 – Since 2006 4 (occasionally 9) Sites Streams • Dissolved Phosphates • Nitrates & Silica 11 Lake Sites & Streams • Chlorophyll-a 2006 & 2007, 2011 • Total Suspended Solids 9 Lake Sites • Total Coliform & E. coli Bacteria 2007 & 2008 – 2005 only Otisco Lake Added in 2008 • Major Ions (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO4) Temperature CTD Profiles 10-20 m Thermocline Specific Conductance SBE-25 Epilimnion Dilution Fluorescence & Turbidity Sea Logger Surface Algae & Turbidity Seasonal Surface Dilution?

Also detected in Seneca, Owasco, Skaneateles, & Otisco Lakes Seneca Lake - Salinity Decline

1997-2011 April CTD Data 2011 CTD Data 2011 CTD Groundwater Source of Salts

Seneca Lake

200 180 Jolly 160 Halfman 140 Others 120 100 80 60 Chloride, ppm Chloride, 40 20 0 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Jolly 2006, 2007 Year Chloride Data Inergy’s Storage LPG Watkins Glen Dissolved Oxygen Fluorescence Subsurface Algal Nepheloid Layers

Also detected in Canandaigua, Otisco & Owasco Lakes Chlorophyll-a, Secchi Algae Largest Surface Water Cayuga, Seneca, Honeoye, & Otisco Smallest Bottom Water Skaneateles, Cayuga, Keuka, & Canandaigua Phosphates SRP & TP Nitrates & Silica 2005 Finger Lake Survey Water Quality & Its Protection Finger Lake Water Quality

 Bacteria (2005 Only Total Coliform & E. coli) Algae (Chlorophyll-a) Honeoye Worst Nutrients (Phosphates (TP, SRP), Nitrates) Suspended Sediments (TSS) Canandaigua Water Clarity (Secchi disk) Keuka Seneca

Legislation Cayuga Owasco

Water Quality Protection Water Quality Skaneateles Best   Best Water Quality Worst 

Bush, 2006, Undergraduate Honors Thesis Water Quality Trends ? Nutrients (Phosphates,Nitrates) Suspended Sediments (TSS) Water Clarity(Secchidisk) Algae (Chlorophyll-a) Correlation with Agricultural Runoff Causation?

Agricultural Land 20

Exclude Honeoye 15 R2 = 0.98 Honeoye Canandaigua Keuka 10 All Seneca Cayuga R2 = 0.05 Owasco 5 Skaneateles Otisco Mean Water Quality Rank Quality Water Mean 0 Linear ( ) 10 20 30 40 50 60 Linear ( ) Agricultural Land Use (%) Annual 2006 2008 Precipitation

Five Years of Ranking

22 20 18 16 2005 14 2006 12 2007 10 2008 8 Rank (37 Max) 2009 6 4 2 0 a o sc oeye n Keuka ayug Otisco ndiagua Seneca C Owa Ho a Skaneateles Can 2005 2007 2009

Work in progress… Wind Roses – Seneca Lake Buoy Owasco Lake Phosphates (TP)

2006 Total Phosphate Annual Averages 94 125 608 20

15

2005 10 2006 5

0 Total Phosphate (ug/L, P) Phosphate Total 1 2 A B C D E 1B 2B CC1 CC2 CC3 CC4

Total Phosphate 2007 Annual Averages

20

15

10

5

Total Phosphate (ug/L,Total Phosphate P) 0 1 2 A B C D E 1B 2B

CC1 CC2 CC3 CC4 NYS Funds – Senator Nozzolio Seneca Lake: Nutrient Loading

Dissolved Phosphate

118, 197, 145, 102, 120, 116 100 1998 80 1999 2000 60 2001 2002 40 2003 2004 20 2005 2006 Phosphate (ug/L, SRP) (ug/L, Phosphate 0 2007 2008 Outlet Lake Keuka Kendig Wilson Reeder Seneca 2009 Plum Pt. Kashong Big Stream Big Seneca Lake Secchi Disk Data

Nutrient Loading?

Zebra Zebra Die Zebra & Quagga Introduced Off Rebound Finger Lakes Other Variability Sample Dates YSI Buoy Data, Seneca Lake 2011 Research Team

Questions? John Halfman, HWS email: [email protected]