A Limnological Study of 43 Selected Maine Lakes
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Southern Maine USM Digital Commons Maine Collection 1980 A Limnological Study of 43 Selected Maine Lakes Derrill J. Cowing Matthew Scott Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/me_collection Part of the Biology Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Hydrology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Recommended Citation Cowing, Derrill J. and Scott, Matthew, "A Limnological Study of 43 Selected Maine Lakes" (1980). Maine Collection. 109. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/me_collection/109 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by USM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maine Collection by an authorized administrator of USM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 50272 - I 01 3. Recipient's Accession No. REPORT DOCUMENTATION ,_1,_REPORT NO. PAGE 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date August 1980 A LIMNOLOGICAL STUDY OF 43 SELECTED MAINE LAKES 6. 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Rept. No. Derrill J. Cowing and Matthew Scott USGS/HRI 80-69 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Project/Task/Work Unit No. U.S. Geological Survey, HRD 26 Ganneston Drive 11. Contract(C) or Grant(G) No. Augusta, ME 04330 (C) (G) 12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address 13. Type of Report & Period Covered U.S. Geological Survey, WRD 26 Ganneston Drive Final Augusta, ME 04330 14. ~==============~========~====~--~==--~==--=-~~~----~----~--------------·--- 15. Supplementary Notes Prepared in cooperation with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection 115. Abstract (Llrnlt; 2.00 wordtS) Federa 1-. and State 1egis 1a fi on require trophic c 1ass i fi cation of Maine lakes and ponds. In 1974 the Maine Department of Environmental Protection adopted a pre liminary set of procedures for establishing an index of lake trophic status and this three year study was initiated for evaluate and improve this system. Analyses ef results led to recommendations for modifications in Maine's lake management program. Lake trophic state should be established using a mean annual value of twice monthly observations of chloro phyll a in ,epilimnetic waters during the open-water season. Supplemental information recommended for inclusion in this program should include: morphological, hydrologic, and geologic data; baseline profile water-quality surveys; and benthic invertebrate, vegeta t:ien, and cultural surveys. Many of these parameters recommended for inclusion in the lake management program will allow comparisons with future surveys to determine the impacts of cultural devel opment on Maine lakes. :-lfRS/r,.. ~ 0~ GORHAM C/,MPUS ~ LIBRARY w n ~ '"0N.ERN ~ 17. Document Analysis a. Descriptors *Maine, ·*Lakes, *Limnology, Hydrology, Productivity, Classification, Water quality, Biology, Lake morphometry b. Identifiers/Open-Ended Terms *Trophic State Index, Hydraulic retention time, Assimilative capacity, Secchi disk transparency, Chlorophyll a c. COSATI Field/Group 18. Availability Statement 19. Security Class (This Report) 21. No. of Paees Prepared for NTIS by the USGS/~~RD unclassified 132 20. Security Class (,This Page) 22. Price unclassif1ed (See ANSI-Z39.18) See Instructions on Reverse OPTIONAL FORM 272 (4-77) (t'ormerly NTIS-35) --------------·- Department of Commerce A LIMNOLOGICAL STUDY OF 43 SELECTED MAINE LAKES By Derrill J. Cowing and Matthew Scott U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations 80-6-9 Prepared in cooperation with the MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 1980 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY H. William Menard, Director For additional information, write to: U.S. Geological Survey 26 Ganneston Drive Augusta, Maine 04330 CONTENTS Page Factors for converting International System of Units to Inch-Pound units--------------------------------- VI Abstract--~~--~-------~--~------------------------~--- 1 Introduction---~-------~----------~--~------~----~~--- 2 Status of DEP's current lake management program-- 5 Acknowledgments-------~------------~------------- 7 Methods---------------------------~------------------- 8 Selection of study lakes------~----------~------- 8 Data collection program--------~---~--------~---- 12 Water quality surveys----~-~---~-----~------ 12 Sampling scheme for regular study lakes----------------------------~--- 12 Sampling scheme for special study lakes--~------~-----~----~-~~-~-~---- 15 Field methods-------------------------- 15 Laboratory methods--------------------- 20 Lake characterization--~-~---------~-~-~-------------- 22 Morphology---------------------------------~----- 22 Geology-----:-:----------------------------~--~-- 25 Lake origins-------------~-----~------------ 27 Lake dr~inage basin lithologies---~--~------ 29 Hydrology-------~----~-~-----~-----~---~----~---- 32 Estimation of mean annual hydraulic · retention time------------~--------------- 33 Estimation of hydraulic retention time . for .a specific year---..--~----'-~----~..;, __ :___ 42 Seasonal variations of hydraulic retention-time---------------------------- 44 Results of water quality surveys-------------------~-- 46 Intensive sampling program--------------~~------- 46 Data analysis---~----------~---~--------~--- 48 Sampling frequency-----~-------------------- 54 Problems of.the intensive sampling program-- 55 Methods of TSI determination-~--·--- ... -------- 62 Baseline sampling ~rogram~----~------------------ 66 Lake water quality surveys------------------ 6.7 Benthic invertebrate surveys---------------- 81 Aquatic macrophyte vegetation surveys------- 88 Cottage counts-~--------------------~------- 91 Phytoplankton population surveys------------ 92 Analysis of 1974 data (single samples)- 93 Analysis of 1975 data (~ultiple sa~p1es} 103 Discussion of 1975 data------~--------- 113 Phytoplankton parameters as measures of trophic state--------------------- 118 Suggested modifications for a baseline ·sampling program-------~-----------~------ 121 Conclusions------------~------------------------------ 122 Selected references---------------------------~------- 125 III ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1. Locations of regular and special study lakes 11 2 • Names and locations of streamgages used in the "Associated Gage" method--------------- 35 3. Graphical comparison of three methods of computing long-term annual runoff rates---- 39 4. Monthly runoff characteristics at selected streamgaging stations---------------------- 45 5. Relationship between Secchi disk and chlorophyll a showing the effect of lake water color-~------------------------------ 51 6. Relationship between total phosphorus and chlorophyll a showing the effect of lake water color-~------------------------------ 52 7 . Distribution of TCA values calculated using single phytoplankton samples from the regular study lakes------------------------ 94 8 . Relative contribution of major phytoplankton groups to TCA values----------------------- 96 9. Phytoplankton communities of Pleasant Pond during the open-water period of 1975------- 105 10. Phytoplankton communities of Pleasant River Lake during the open-water period of 1975-- 106 11. Phytoplankton communities of Upper Lead Mountain Pond during the open-water period of 1975------------------------------------- 108 12. Phytoplankton communities of Forest Lake during the open-water period of 1975------- 110 13. Phytoplankton communities of Brewer Lake during the open-water period of 1975-- 112 14. Relationship between instantaneous observations of chlorophyll a and total cell volume (TCV) with respect to percentage of diatoms in the phytoplankton community--- 120 IV TABLES Page Table 1 .. Lis.t of. stpdy lak~s :with town and. county _ in which .the ·outlet is located-..:-~_----;..:_- __ _ 10 2. ·Morphometric 'characteristics of' ·· - ' study lakes-------------------------------- 23 2a. Lakes _grouped according to origin, using the classification system of Hutchinson (1957)~------------------------------------ 28 2b. Lakes grouped accordin·g to the dominant type -~f bedrock in the drainage basin------ 3Q 3. Run~ff: at streamgages used in the "Associated 9age" method of calculating lake flushing rate s. -.- ------------- ~- -· --------------------- 4-. Hydra'ulic retention tl.mes of study lakes comput:ed using three: methods for. the cal ~ulation of mean annual runoff------------- _37 5. Results of the low:leiel phosphorus sampling study conducted by the PEP Water Quality · Laboratory-----------~--------------------- 58 6. TSI values for the regular study lakes, . calculated using the updated TSI equations and mean values of chlorophyll a, Secchi disk, and total phosphorus from-the 1 9 7 4 -7 5 -7 6 data set -...-- .. -------------------- 65 7. Thermal and hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen characteristics of the study lakes during late _summer (lakes listed in descending TSI) 68 8. Summer epilimnetic values of pH, alkalinity, cand specific conductance for the study 'lakes ·(lakes listed in des~ending TSI)----------- 71 9. Summer epilimnetic valu-es of total nitrogen and phosphorus for the study lakes (lakes listed in descending TST}------------------ 74 10. Summer epilimnetic valuei of calcium, · magnesium, sodium, and potassium for the study lakes (lakes listed in descending TSI) 76 11. Summer epilimnetic values of chloride, sulfate, silica,