COLA plans voluntary water testing
Published Monday, May 5, 2008
The Otter Tail Coalition of Lakes Association (COLA), in coordination with RMB Environmental Laboratories of Detroit Lakes, on Saturday renewed its commitment to voluntary water testing.
“One important benefit of the program is providing information to our lake property owners about the fertility and productivity levels of lakes in Otter Tail County,” COLA President Bob Deutschman said. “This information, and related data, are used to promote stewardship of shoreline properties.”
Citizen volunteers collect water samples once a month from May through September and submit them to the lab in Detroit Lakes. This monitoring program involves the collection of total phosphorus and chlorophyll samples.
Water transparency is measured with a Secchi disk. Other observations such as lake level, rainfall and recreational suitability are also documented.
“We (RMB Environmental Laboratories), have worked closely with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) since 1995,” said Moriya Rufer, RMB lakes program coordinator who spoke to COLA members Saturday morning at the community center in Ottertail. “This has enhanced our program in west central Minnesota. Volunteer participation currently takes place at over 350 lakes.”
A two-meter integrated sampler is used for collecting surface water samples in a lakes for phosphorus and chlorophyll analysis. This enables the sampler to collect an integrated sample of the top two meters of the water column.
The sampler consists of pvc pipe with a rubber stopper on each end.
“It’s helpful to have two people working together with an integrated sampler,” Rufer said. “One person can hold the sampler on the shoulder while the other one handles the sample container. Rinsing the sampler is important — to avoid contamination.”
COLA members approved a resolution that the citizens of Minnesota be given the right to vote on any proposal that might appropriate volumes of water from surface or ground water sources — for projects located outside the state boundary.
In followup discussion, some COLA members expressed concern about communities along the Red River, such as Fargo-Moorhead, tapping into water from Otter Tail County. This option, which would need regulatory approval but which has been denied previously, has again been raised. Some people along the Red River fear, in light of global warming, that the river could again dry up similar to what took place during the 1930s.
Members supported a recommendation from the COLA executive committee for financial support of the shoreland specialist for Otter Tail County.
The next general meeting will be held May 24. The speaker will be Don Hickman of the Initiative Foundation who will address lake management planning.
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