I took our 2012 Memorial Day weekend  water samples Monday May 21, at 3:15pm.  The test results are as follows:

#1        Dock        less than  1 cfu

#2        Cedar Fork Creek     4 cfu

#3        Booker Creek           2 cfu

Caution level is individual reading above 400 cfu, or average above 200 cfu.

Lake water temp was 26.5C/81F at the Booker Creek inlet, 28C/83F at Cedar Fork Creek, and 27C/81F, between the floating docks.

The SECCI clarity reading was 45 inches.

These were the lowest overall readings we have ever gotten!  The closest we have come to these results in the last 18 years was in April, 1998.  The lab methodology has changed with time, and with the three different labs we have used. The smallest  number that can be accurately reported is is lower today than it was then.

The aesthetic quality of the water is very good.  Good test results and aesthetic quality are not necessarily related.  The conditions that make the water pleasant can also bring contamination, but this year we are lucky.  The water is pretty clear for this time of year, and the temperature is about ideal for swimming.  There was nothing floating on the surface or suspended in the water.  Algae blooms are common in early June.  They can happen quickly and when they die off, there is a lot of “stuff” in the water, making the SECCI readings much lower.  At this time, a June algae bloom seems unlikely.

The lake seems healthy.  When I paddled toward the two inlets I caused fish or turtles in front of my kayak to move, leaving bubble trails.  I  saw a lot of waterfowl in the lake, and that means they are finding enough to eat.  As long as we don’t add nutrients to the ecosystem (from over-fertilizing, erosion, sewage overflow, or deliberately feeding birds or deer) our man-made habitat seems to be in a state of natural balance.  Actually, I think the algae blooms are a natural corrective mechanism, but the lake is a lot more appealing when that does not need to occur.

Development in our watershed, including parts of Weaver Dairy Road, needs to be watched carefully.  Previous development projects were instrumental in making it necessary to remove silt from the lake.  When finished, all development tends to make more of the surface “impervious”.  Effectively that increases the area of our watershed.  Rainwater that passes through our lake comes to us faster from farther away as the area gets graded and paved.  The Eastwood Lake watershed is about 4 square miles, mostly to the North of the lake.  It includes Cedar Falls Park, Cedar Hills, and most of the area bounded by Timberlyne, Lake Ellen, and the Municipal Drive area behind the airport.  On the South side of the lake, the watershed ends at the first ridge, which is mostly contained in Lake Forest Estates.

Chuck Henage

chenagemht@aol.com