Fish Hook 29-0242-00 HUBBARD COUNTY Lake Water Quality Summary Fish Hook Lake is located just north of Park Rapids, Minnesota. It covers 1,643 acres and has an oblong shape. Fish Hook Lake has three inlets and one outlet, which classifies it as a drainage lake. The Potato River enters Fish Hook Lake on the north side from Potato Lake. The Portage River enters Fish Hook Lake on the west side from Portage Lake. The Fish Hook River outlets Fish Hook Lake on the south and flows through Park Rapids. South of Park Rapids it joins the Shell River, which eventually joins the Crow Wing River. Water quality data have been collected on Fish Hook Lake since 1988 (Table 3). These data show that the lake is mesotrophic, which is characterized by moderately clear water throughout the summer and excellent recreational opportunities. The Fish Hook Lake and River Association has the following mission statement. “The Fish Hook Lake & River Association shall be an advocate of the environment of our lake/river systems. We shall be a partner with other lake associations and agencies which have an impact on water quality. We shall act as an educator in community understanding of the issues and goals of our association. The objectives of our efforts are better water quality and property values for everyone. As a group, we have a stronger voice than as separate individuals.” They are involved in many activities including water quality monitoring, aquatic invasive species education, newsletter distribution, and are a member of the Hubbard Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA). Table 1. Fish Hook Lake location and key physical characteristics. Location Data Physical Characteristics MN Lake ID: 29-0242-00 Surface area (acres): 1643 County: Hubbard Littoral area (acres): 661 Ecoregion: Northern Lakes & Forests % Littoral area: 40% Major Drainage Basin: Upper Mississippi River Max depth (ft), (m): 76, 23.2 Latitude/Longitude: 46.95777778 / -95.06222222 Inlets: 3 Invasive Species: None Outlets: 1 Public Accesses: 1 Table 2: Availability of data and an observation of the quantity of sample points. Data Availability Excellent data set through the Citizens Lake Transparency data Monitoring Program. Excellent data set through the RMB Lab Lakes Chemical data Program. Inlet data exists from the Portage River inlet from Inlet/Outlet data 2007-2008. Recommendations For recommendations refer to page 19. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 1 of 19 2012 Fish Hook Lake Lake Map Figure 1. Map of Fish Hook Lake with 2010 aerial imagery and illustrations of sample site locations, inlets and outlets, and public access points. The light green areas in the lake illustrate the littoral zone, where the sunlight can usually reach the lake bottom allowing aquatic plants to grow. Table 3. Monitoring programs and associated monitoring sites. Monitoring programs include the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Citizens Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP) and RMB Environmental Laboratories Lakes Program (RMBEL). Lake Site Depth (ft) Monitoring Programs 100 NA MPCA: 1991 201*Primary site 60 CLMP: 1988-2011; RMBEL: 1999-2011 202 76 CLMP: 1988-2011 203 15 CLMP: 1988-2010 204 30 CLMP: 1988-2010 205 40 CLMP: 1989-2010 RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 2 of 19 2012 Fish Hook Lake Average Water Quality Statistics The information below describes available chemical data for Fish Hook Lake through 2011. The data set is limited, and all parameters, with the exception of total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and Secchi depth, are means for just 1991 MPCA data. Minnesota is divided into seven ecoregions based on land use, vegetation, precipitation and geology. The MPCA has developed a way to determine the "average range" of water quality expected for lakes in each ecoregion. For more information on ecoregions and expected water quality ranges, see page 11. Table 4. Water quality means compared to ecoregion ranges and impaired waters standard. Impaired Ecoregion Waters 1 2 Parameter Mean Range Standard Interpretation Total phosphorus (ug/L) 16 14 - 27 > 30 3 Chlorophyll a (ug/L) 5 4 - 10 > 9 Results are within the expected range for the ecoregion. Chlorophyll a max (ug/L) 9 <15 Secchi depth (ft) 11.2 7.5 - 15 < 6.5 Dissolved oxygen Dimitic Dissolved oxygen depth profiles show that the deep areas of the see page 8 lake are anoxic in late summer. Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen 0.45 0.40 - 0.75 Indicates insufficient nitrogen to support summer nitrogen-induced (mg/L) algae blooms. Alkalinity (mg/L) 152 40 - 140 Indicates a low sensitivity to acid rain and a good buffering capacity. Color (Pt-Co Units) 10 10 - 35 Indicates very clear water with little to no tannins (brown stain). pH 8.5 7.2 - 8.3 Characteristic of a hard water lake. Lake water with pH less than 6.5 can affect fish spawning and the solubility of metals in the water. Chloride (mg/L) 1.7 0.6 - 1.2 Slightly above the ecoregion average but still considered low level. Total Suspended Solids 2.8 <1 - 2 Slightly above the ecoregion average but still considered low (mg/L) level. Specific Conductance 275 50 - 250 Slightly above the ecoregion average. (umhos/cm) Total Nitrogen :Total 28:1 25:1 – 35:1 Indicates the lake is phosphorus Phosphorus limited, which means that algae growth is limited by the amount of phosphorus in the lake. 1The ecoregion range is the 25th-75th percentile of summer means from ecoregion reference lakes 2For further information regarding the Impaired Waters Assessment program, refer to http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/index.html 3Chlorophyll a measurements have been corrected for pheophytin Units: 1 mg/L (ppm) = 1,000 ug/L (ppb) RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 3 of 19 2012 Fish Hook Lake Water Quality Characteristics - Historical Means and Ranges Table 5. Water quality means and ranges for primary sites. Primary Parameters Site Site Site Site Site 201 202 203 204 205 Total Phosphorus Mean (ug/L): 16 Total Phosphorus Min: <5 Total Phosphorus Max: 36 Number of Observations: 55 Chlorophyll a Mean (ug/L): 5 Chlorophyll-a Min: <1 Chlorophyll-a Max: 9 Number of Observations: 55 Secchi Depth Mean (ft): 11.2 11.3 11.3 11.2 10.9 Secchi Depth Min: 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.5 Secchi Depth Max: 20.0 23.0 20.0 19.5 20.0 Number of Observations: 234 237 194 193 190 Figure 2. Fish Hook Lake total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and transparency historical ranges. The arrow represents the range and the black dot represents the historical mean (Primary Site 201). Figure adapted after Moore and Thornton, [Ed.]. 1988. Lake and Reservoir Restoration Guidance Manual. (Doc. No. EPA 440/5-88-002) RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 4 of 19 2012 Fish Hook Lake Transparency (Secchi Depth) Transparency is how easily light can pass through a substance. In lakes it is how deep sunlight penetrates through the water. Plants and algae need sunlight to grow, so they are only able to grow in areas of lakes where the sun penetrates. Water transparency depends on the amount of particles in the water. An increase in particulates results in a decrease in transparency. The transparency varies year to year due to changes in weather, precipitation, lake use, flooding, temperature, lake levels, etc. The annual means for Fish Hook Lake range from 7.8 - 17.3 feet (Figure 3). Transparency is very consistent throughout the lake. This could be because the lake is fairly round with similar conditions throughout. Transparency monitoring should be continued, especially at sites 201 and 202, to track water quality in Fish Hook Lake. Transparency: Annual Means 16 14 12 (ft) 10 8 Depth 6 Site 201 Secchi Site 202 4 Site 203 2 Site 204 Site 205 0 Figure 3. Annual mean transparency for sites 201, 202, 203, 204 and 205. Fish Hook Lake transparency ranges from 6 to 23 feet throughout the summer. Figure 4 shows the seasonal transparency dynamics. The maximum Secchi reading is usually obtained in early summer. Fish Hook Lake transparency is high in May and June and declines slightly through August. The transparency then rebounds in October after fall turnover. The dynamics have to do with algae and zooplankton population dynamics, and lake turnover. It is important for lake residents to understand the seasonal transparency dynamics in their lake so they are not worried about why their transparency is lower in August than it is in June. It is typical for a lake to vary in transparency throughout the summer RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 5 of 19 2012 Fish Hook Lake Seasonal Transparency Dynamics 1988 22 1989 1990 20 1991 18 1992 1993 16 1994 (ft) 14 1995 1996 12 1997 Depth 1998 10 1999 Secchi 8 2000 2001 6 2002 4 2003 2004 2 2005 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 Figure 4. Seasonal transparency dynamics and year-to-year comparison (site 202). The black line represents the pattern in the data. User Perceptions When volunteers collect secchi depth readings, they record their perceptions of the water based on the physical appearance and the recreational suitability. These perceptions can be compared to water quality parameters to see how the lake "user" would experience the lake at that time. Looking at transparency data, as the secchi depth decreases the perception of the lake's physical appearance rating decreases. Fish Hook Lake was rated as being "not quite crystal clear" 86% of the time between 1989-2011 (Figure 5). Physical Appearance Rating 3% 11% 11% Crystal clear water 86% Not quite crystal clear – a little algae visible 3% Definite algae – green, yellow, or brown color apparent 0% High algae levels with limited clarity and/or mild odor apparent 0% Severely high algae levels 86% Figure 5.