Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 1

Water Quality Assessment of Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 1

A Proposal by

Donald Huggins Niang Choo Lim

Central Plains Center for BioAssessment Kansas Biological Survey University of Kansas

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

June 2008

Introduction The Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 1 is located five miles north of Westmoreland in northeast Kansas. The lake surface area is 24 acres and the average depth is 6 to 8 feet, with the maximum depth of about 17 feet. A destratification unit is installed in the lake to help control the aquatic vegetation. Channel catfish, large mouth bass, crappie, and bluegill are common fish species in the lake. The lake also provides opportunity for boating and camping around the lake and the 166 acres surrounding the lake is open to hunting during open season. Thus, this lake is an important recreation area for residents in the Pottawatomie County.

Objectives According to data collected intermittently between 1981 and 2001 by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), chlorophyll a levels ranged from 2.1 to 33.6 g/L. However, the last survey conducted in 2005 shows a substantial increase in the chlorophyll a level (203.4 g/L). Thus, this lake is currently listed under the draft KDHE 2008 303(d) List as a water-quality impaired reservoir. There is a need to monitor current water-quality conditions of this lake to examine impairment status, i.e., if impairment persists, a total maximum daily load (TMDL) has to be developed for this lake by KDHE, as required by the Clean Water Act.

1 The objectives of this project are: 1. Assessing current trophic conditions (i.e., nutrient and chlorophyll a levels); 2. Determining incoming nutrient load via tributary baseflow water-quality monitoring and autosampler installation at the two tributaries to collect runoff water samples; 3. Determining limiting nutrient(s) via laboratory bioassay experiments.

Study Approach

Field sampling The Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 1 will be sampled monthly from July to September 2008. Water samples will be collected at three sites (Figure 1) at 0.25, 1.5, 3, and 6 m, depending on each of the site depths. Dissolved oxygen concentration, water temperature, specific conductance, pH, and turbidity will be measured in situ using a Horiba U-10 Water Quality Checker. Secchi depth will be taken at each site. Concurrent with the field measurements, one-liter grab water sample will be collected and transported on ice in a cooler to Kansas Biological Survey (KBS) Ecotoxicology Laboratory for water chemistry analyses. Collected water samples will be analyzed for nutrients (total nitrogen and phosphorus, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and orthophosphate), and chlorophyll a. A summary of water-quality parameters, analytical methods, detection limits, and sample holding time per Standard Methods (APHA et al. 2005) is listed in Table 1.

Figure 1. The three sampling sites of the Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 1 (modified from Google Maps).

2 In addition to the three sampling sites at the lake, the two tributaries of the lake will also be sampled for nutrient and chlorophyll a analyses from July to September. Autosamplers will be installed at the two tributaries to collect water samples during storm events.

Nutrient Bioassay Experiments Laboratory nutrient bioassay experiments can be useful in determining limiting nutrient(s) of a waterbody. The last survey conducted in 2005 shows a sharp increase in chlorophyll a level in the lake. Thus, it is necessary to determine what (i.e., limiting nutrient(s)) could have caused the problem. Eutrophication can cause low dissolved oxygen conditions in the lake and thus may causes fish kill. Lake water to be used in the bioassay experiments will be collected near the dam (site 3 – Figure 1). Algal responses will be examined using a 4 X 3 experimental design under different nutrient conditions (Table 2). Each of the three nutrient additions and the control (no nutrient additions) will be run in triplicate incubation bottles for nine days in a growth chamber at 20 ± 1C on a twelve-hour light/dark cycle using a bank of fluorescent lights. Potassium nitrate (KNO3) and monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) will be added to the bottles at 800 g N L-1 and 200 g P L-1, respectively. Fluorescence will be measured with the Turner Designs 10-AU Fluorometer each day during the incubation period. Treatment condition that yields highest algal growth is identified as the limiting nutrient(s) that controls algal growth in the lake. This information is particularly useful in the reservoir management effort.

Table 2 Design of nutrient bioassay experiments to be used in this project. Treatment Description Control No nutrient additions -1 -1 N (800 g N L ) N added as KNO3 to increase concentrations by 800 g N L -1 -1 P (200 g P L ) P added as KH2PO4 to increase concentrations by 200 g P L N and P N and P added as above

The project database and the final report will be submitted by December 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009, respectively.

Literature Cited

APHA, AWWA, WEF. 2005. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 21st Ed. American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and Water Environment Federation. Washington, D.C.

Ebina, J., T. Tsutsui and T. Shirai. 1983. Simultaneous determination of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in water using peroxodisulfate oxidation. Water Research 17:12. 1721-1726.

Wetzel, R.G. 2001. Limnology: lake and river ecosystems. 3rd Ed. Academic Press. San

3 Diego, California. 1006 pp.

4 Table 1 Summary of analytical methods, instrument detection limits, and sample holding time of water-quality parameters analyzed in this project. Detection Holding Parameter Container Instrument Method Citation Preservation Limit Time Laboratory Analyses 1L Amber Digestion @ 250oF Total Phosphorus Ebina et al. 1983 5 µg/L 28 days 4oC Glass Lachat QuikChem 8500 1L Amber Orthophosphate-P Lachat QuikChem 8500 21st Ed. Standard Methods 4500-P 1 µg/L 48 hours 4oC Glass 1L Amber Digestion @ 250oF Total Nitrogen Ebina et al. 1983 0.01 mg/L 28 days 4oC Glass Lachat QuikChem 8500 1L Amber Ammonia-N Lachat QuikChem 8500 21st Ed. Standard Methods 4500-NH 1 µg/L 48 hours 4oC Glass 3 1L Amber Nitrate-N Lachat QuikChem 8500 21st Ed. Standard Methods 4500-NO 0.01 mg/L 48 hours 4oC Glass 3 1L Amber Nitrite-N Lachat QuikChem 8500 21st Ed. Standard Methods 4500-NO 0.01 mg/L 48 hours 4oC Glass 2 1L Amber Optical Tech. Devices, Ratio-2 System Chlorophyll a 21st Ed. Standard Methods 10200-H 1 µg/L 28 days -20oC Glass Filter Fluorometer In situ Measurements 21st Ed. Standard Methods pH none Horiba U-10 Water Quality Checker 0.1 - - 4500-H+ Specific 21st Ed. Standard Methods none Horiba U-10 Water Quality Checker 0.001 mS/cm - - Conductance 2510 A-B 21st Ed. Standard Methods DO none Horiba U-10 Water Quality Checker 0.1 mg/L - - 4500-O G 21st Ed. Standard Methods Turbidity none Horiba U-10 Water Quality Checker 1 NTU - - 2130-B 21st Ed. Standard Methods Water Temperature none Horiba U-10 Water Quality Checker 0.1oC - - 2550-B Secchi Disk none Secchi Disk Wetzel 2001 - - - Transparency