The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Research Buoy is Located in North Pond in Smithfield

July 29, 2008 - SMITHFIELD -- A Colby College buoy and 10 data sensors have been recovered, thanks to the efforts of an alert North Pond Lake Association volunteer.

Members discovered the specialized monitoring equipment, key parts of a study of algal bloom increases, were missing last weekend. Lake Association President Rick Watson alerted authorities, hoping that if the buoy had been stolen or deliberately set adrift, local residents could help get it back.

Several days later, camp owner Dr. Clem Warren noticed a white buoy in an unusual location near the shore.

"He and his son went to investigate, pulled the buoy up, and took it to their camp," Watson said Monday. "Often, people leave their buoy in all winter. When the ice goes out in the spring, it is not uncommon for the ice to drag the buoy, chain and anchor along until it breaks free."

Watson explained Warren was concerned that the buoy was a hazard to boaters and brought it to shore. The Colby College telephone number and identification had washed off the buoy, so Warren reported his find at the association's meeting on Saturday night.

"It just goes to show how dedicated and caring our association members are with regard to what goes on at the lake." Watson said. "Professor (Whitney) King was thrilled with the news, and only about one week's worth of data was compromised by pulling the buoy."

Colby College students will relocate the buoy and data sensors in the center of North Pond. King, a chemistry professor, has been investigating the cause of algal blooms for five summers. Last summer, he pooled resources with Maine's Department of Environmental Protection and the University of Maine at Orono to survey East Pond's water chemistry changes after a 2007 perch removal project.

Sensors measure lake temperatures, oxygen content, phosphorous and water clarity. When temperature and weather changes keep colder water near the bottom of the lake, the oxygen in the upper layers can't mix with sediment to keep the lake in a healthy state. The layer where the upper warmer layer and the colder bottom layer of water meet is called a thermocline.

The thermocline creates an oxygen-starved environment on the floor of the lake, but it also allows phosphorus to float up to warmer water near the surface, providing a rich source of food for naturally-occurring algae. Within days, the well-fed algae becomes an unpleasant thick green soup.

"We used to experience three or four blooms over a 40-year period," Watson said. "Now we could have algae blooms every summer, and we need to learn more about whether it's caused by changing temperatures, run-off from camps around the lake, or a combination of several factors."

The association's goal, Watson said, is to educate the camp owners and visitors about the long-term effects of lake pollution and the potential loss of a vital natural resource.

BY VALERIE TUCKER
Correspondent, Kennebec Journal, Tuesday, July 29, 2008


Lakes: North Pond
Regions: Belgrade


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News