EPA-600/3-77-021
February 1977
Ecological Research Series
OF LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
(Franklin County, New York)
Environmental Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
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EPA-600/3-77-021
February 1977
RESTORATION OF LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
(FRANKLIN COUNTY, NEW YORK)
by
G. Wolfgang Fuhs and Susan P. Allen
Environmental Health Center
New York State Department of Health
Albany, New York 12201
and
Leo J. Hetling and T. James Tofflemire
Environmental Quality Research Unit
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Albany, New York 12233
EPA Grant >Io. S-301529
Project Officer
Kenneth W. Malueg
Special Studies Branch
Corvallis Environmental Research Laboratory
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
CORVALLIS ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
CORVALLIS, OREGON 97330
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DISCLAIMER
This report has been reviewed by the Corvallis Environmental Research
Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and approved for publication.
Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and
policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade
names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
ii
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FOREWORD
Effective regulatory and enforcement actions by the Environmental Protection
Agency would be virtually impossible without sound scientific data on pollutants
and their impact on environmental stability and human health. Responsibility
for building this data base has been assigned to EPA's Office of Research and
Development and its 15 major field installations, one of which is the Corvallis
Environmental Research Laboratory (CERL).
The primary mission of the Corvallis Laboratory is research on the effects of
environmental pollutants on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems; the
behavior, effects and control of pollutants in lake systems; and the development
of predictive models on the movement of pollutants in the biosphere.
This report describes the recovery of a eutrophic lake in the Adirondack region
of New York through point-source phosphorus control.
A.F. Bartsch
Director, CERL
iii
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ABSTRACT
Lower St. Regis Lake, the lowest of a chain of three lakes in Franklin
County, Adirondack Region, New York, was subject to severe eutrophication,
as indicated by summer-long intense blue-green algal blooms caused by phos-
phate discharges from a point source contributing approximately 0.8 g P/
(sq m x yr). The upper lakes are only mildly eutrophic, possibly as the
result of lakeshore cottage development. The remainder of the basin is
forested. Sewage from the point source had been subject to an extended
aeration-activated sludge treatment. Ferric chloride was added and ferric
phosphate sludge was removed from the basin from July to December 1972, from
March to November 1973, and in April 1974. In Mav 1Q74 year-round diversion
of the effluent to a sand bed 250 meters from the lake was begun. During
the summers of 1973 and 1974 there was washout of phosphate from the lake
system, and the summer bloom was delayed. In 1975 the usual spring bloom
of flagellates and diatoms did not occur, and the summer bloom was further
reduced in duration and intensity. The recovery of the lake is thus very
much in evidence. The high iron content of the lake, among several other
factors, appears to be speeding the recovery; a delaying influence, how-
ever, is being exerted by the continued hypolimnic oxygen depletion, pre-
sumably from methane formed in the sediments.
This report was submitted in fulfillment of EPA grant S-801529 admin-
istered through Health Research, Inc., a research organization in the New
York State Department of Health. This report covers a period from May 9,
1972 through October 31, 1975, when field surveys were completed.
IV
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CONTENTS
Foreword ill
Abstract iv
List of Figures vi
List of Tables viii
List of Abbreviations'and Symbols ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Introduction and Rationale 1
2. Conclusions 4
3. Recommendations 5
/
4. Land Use in the St. Regis Lakes Basin and the
History of the Paul Smiths Settlement 6
5. Previous and Preliminary Studies and
Pollution Abatement Measures 8
6. Hydrology of Lower St. Regis Lake 14
7. Methodology 30
8. Results 38
9. Lake Chemical Inputs and Chemical Balances.... 88
10. Discussion 95
11. The Future of Lower St. Regis Lake 101
References 102
Inventions and Publications 106
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LIST OF FIGURES
Number
la General view of Lower St. Regis Lake, August 6, 1971 .... 12
b Close-up of The Slough (channel from Spitfire Lake)
entering Lower St. Regis Lake, August 6, 1971 12
2a General view of Lower St. Regis Lake, August 3, 1976 .... 13
b Close-up of The Slough (channel from Spitfire Lake)
entering Lower St. Regis Lake, August 6, 1971 13
3 Hydrographic chart of Lower St. Regis Lake 15
4 Contour depth versus lake area, Lower St. Regis Lake .... 16
5 Drainage basin and location of lake and tributary stations . 18
6 Temperature profile for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1975 . . 39
7 Temperature profile for upper St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974 . . 40
8 Dissolved oxygen data for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1975 . 41
9 Dissolved oxygen data for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974 . 42
10 Light attenuation (660 nm) for Lower St. Regis Lake,
1972-1975 43
11 Light attenuation (660 nm) for Upper St. Regis Lake,
1972-1974 44
12 Total iron values for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974 ... 46
13 Total iron values for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974 ... 47
14 Reactive silica values for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974 . 49
15 Inorganic nitrogen values for Lower St. Regis Lake,
1972-1974 50
16 Chlorophyll a data for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1973-1975 ... 51
17 Chlorophyll a data for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1973-1974 ... 52
18 Chlorophyll a data for Spitfire Lake, 1973-1974 53
19 Secchi disc transparencies for Lower St. Regis and Upper
St. Regis Lakes, 1972-1975 . . . 54
20 Total plankton and Anabaena spp. biomass for Lower St.
Regis Lake, 1972 63
21 Total plankton and Anabaena spp. biomass for Lower St.
Regis Lake, 1973 64
22 Total plankton and Anabaena spp. biomass for Lower St.
Regis Lake, 1974 65
23 Total plankton and Anabaena spp. biomass for Lower St.
Regis Lake, 1975 66
24 Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1972 . 68
25 Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1973 . 69
26 Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1974 . 70
27 Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1975 . 71
28 Species biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake epilimnion,
1972-1973 75
VI
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Number Paqe
29 Species biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1974 . 76
30 Total plankton biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972 ... 78
31 Total plankton biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1973 ... 79
32 Total plankton biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1974 ... 80
33 Species biomass for Spitfire Lake epilimnion, 1973 82
34 Species biomass for Spitfire Lake epilimnion, 1974 83
35 Total plankton biomass for Spitfire Lake, 1973 ........ 84
36 Total plankton biomass for Spitfire Lake, 1974 85
37 Unidentified particles (possibly silicon) from Spitfire
Lake 87
VII
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LIST OF TABLES
Number
1 Summer Population of Paul Smiths Settlement 7
2 Student Population of Paul Smith's College 7
3 Bioassays of Lower St. Regis Lake, 1971 10
4 Morphometric Characteristics 17
5 St. Regis Lake Study, Drainage Areas 21
6 St. Regis Hydrology Matrix 24
7 Summary of Hydrology Data, Lower St. Regis Lake ... 29
8 Relative Ionic Composition and Conductivity 45
9 Sediment Analysis Results 55
10 Description of Sampling Sites and Consistency of Bottom
Sediments 57
11 Bottom Sediment Samples 58
12 Chemical Stratigraphy of a Sediment Core from Lower
St. Regis Lake 59
13 Reactive Phosphate Release 'from Bottom Sediment after
21-Day Incubation 59
14 Soluble Phosphate Release from Sediment Core after
28-Day Incubation 60
15 Total Plankton Biomass Range 62
16 Flows and Chemical Concentrations; Logarithmic Means,
Ranges, and Probabilities of Occurrence; Black
Pond Outlet 89
17 Flows and Chemical -Concentrations; Logarithmic Means,
Ranges, and Probabilities of Occurrence; Easy
Street Creek 90
18 Flows and Chemical Concentrations; Logarithmic Means,
Ranges, and Probabilities of Occurrence; Spitfire
Creek 91
19 Phosphorus Budget, Lower St. Regis Lake 93
20 Summary of Phosphorus Inputs and Losses into Lower
St. Regis Lake 92
21 Measurements of Eutrophy, Lower Lake 95
22 Measurements of Eutrophy, Upper Lakes ....... 96
23 Epilimnic Phosphorus During Spring Overturn, Lower
St. Regis Lake 96
24 Hypolimnic Oxygen Deficit and Carbon Dioxide Accumu-
lation in Lower St. Regis Lake 97
Vlll
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
UNIT OF MEASURE
a-ft
°C
cap"1
cfs
cm
ft
g liter"1
gpd
in
km
km2
—1
L sec
m
m2
CHEMICAL SYMBOL
m3 day-1
m3 sec"1
meq liter"1
mg liter "^
mi
mi2
ml
mm
mm3 liter'1
N
nm
ppm
rpm
yr
11 i
[Jig day"-1
tig liter'1
p.g-at liter'l
p,S cm-1
acre-foot
degree Celsius
per capita (per person)
cubic foot per second
centimeter
foot
gram
gram per liter
gallon per day
inch
kilometer
square kilometer
liter per second
meter
square meter
cubic meter
cubic meter per day
cubic meter per second
milliequivalent per liter
milligram per liter
mile
square mile
milliliter
millimeter
cubic millimeter per liter
normal
nanometer
parts per million
revolutions per minute
year
micron
microgram per day
microgram per liter
microgram-atom per liter
microSiemens per centimeter
C org. sol.
Ca2+
Ca total
Cl"
C02
COD
EDTA
Fe total
HC1
K+
Mg2+
MgC03
Mn total
N organic
Na+
NaOH
N(NH4)
N(N03
N02)
P
P react.
P total part.
P total sol.
Si react.
so42-
TKN
organic soluble carbon
calcium ion
total calcium
chloride ion
carbon dioxide
chemical oxygen demand
ethylenediamine
tetra-acetic acid
total iron
hydrochloric acid
potassium ion
magnesium ion
magnesium carbonate
total manganese
organic nitrogen
sodium ion
sodium hydroxide
ammonia nitrogen
nitrate and nitrite
nitrogen
phosphorus
reactive phosphorus
total particulate
phosphorus
total soluble phos-
phorus
reactive silica
sulfate radical
total Kjeldahl
nitrogen
IX
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OTHER
A interlake flow
Bl Black Pond outlet
G! lake level constant = 73.1 m^ sec~l
C2 precipitation constant = 0.731 m3 sec'-*-
Cg evaporation constant = 0.512 m^ sec~l
E evaporation
Ea Easy Street Creek
L lake level
E lake level from previous day
Lp areal phosphorus loading
[P ]sp predicted phosphorus concentration at spring overturn
Pr precipitation
qs hydraulic loading
SD standard deviation
St St. Regis River flow
t actual temperature
USGS United States Geological Survey
X total runoff from ungaged areas
Z runoff from the upper basin
z mean depth
Tw mean hydraulic retention time
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Of the two principal investigators, Dr. Leo J. Hetling of the New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation was responsible for
the hydrologic and sanitary engineering aspects, while the senior author
of this report supervised the limnological study and the telemetering
project. Significant contributions to this report were made by Dr.
Thomas F. Zimmie of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (water balance),
Salvatore D. Schiavo and staff of the Albany office of the U. S. Geo-
logical Survey (stream gage calibration), Robert J. Dineen of the New
York State Geological Survey (geology), and the following employees of
the Environmental Health Center: Dr. Douglas Mitchell and staff (chemical
analysis), Dr. Michael M. Reddy (sediment core and detritus analysis),
Dr. Lindsay W. Wood (phosphate dynamics in sediment cores), Miss Susan P.
Allen (plankton analysis) and Mr, Thomas B. Lyons III (data processing).
Capable technical assistance was rendered by Messrs. William C.
Ahearn, Thomas B. Lyons III, and Eugene Schmidt of the Environmental Health
Center and by Mr. John Bouton, who was employed under contract with Paul
Smith's College.
A concurrent student project on lake analysis was initiated and con-
ducted at Paul Smith's-College by Mrs. Patricia Flath, instructor in
chemistry.
Additional credits are given in the report by Dr. T. James Tofflemire
(1975) for participants in the engineering aspects of the study.
Mr. Richard McCormick, District Engineer for the New York State De-
partment of Health, has been of great help to all participants in the
study on many occasions.
XI
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SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
This study was prompted by complaints in August 1970 from the St. Regis
Property Owners Association, Inc., about apparent degradation of the lowest
in the St. Regis chain of lakes, located approximately 16 kilometers (km)
(10 miles [mi]) northwest of the Village of Saranac Lake in Franklin County,
Adirondack Region, New York. Intense algal blooms were noticed each summer,
in contrast to the lack of blooms on the two upper lakes. The association
represents owners of summer homes around the two upper lakes, and the alle-
gations focused on the discharge of treated wastewater into the lower lake
by Paul Smith's College, the only significant development on the lower lake.
The complaints were voiced to the New york State Department of Environ-
mental Conservation, which on July 1, 1970 had assumed water pollution control
responsibilities from the Department of Health, although the latter retained
jurisdiction for potable and recreational water quality. Upon first recon-
naissance the algal problem was obvious, and we were informed that the problem
was of long standing. In contrast to the upper lakes - which, despite the
absence of public beaches and with only a marginal public launching facility,
had much recreational use, including sport fishery - the lower lake seemed
little used. The main complaint was the unsatisfactory aesthetic quality of
the water, and it seemed possible that if the lower lake were restored to a
better water quality, it would be utilized to a greater extent.
Water pollution control measures on the lower lake were not significantly
behind the state of the art. During the intense recreational use of this
lake in connection with Paul Smith's Hotel on its shores (1859-1930), septic
tank service had been sufficient. When Paul Smith's College (established
1946) grew near its present size, sanitary conditions required the construc-
tion of a secondary sewage treatment plant (1965-67), which proved to be ample
in size and well functioning. When algal problems continued, the State Health
Department recommended pumping the effluent to sand beds rather than dis-
charging it to the lake (1971). This system was under design when the present
study began.
Following receipt of the residents' complaints, the Environmental Health
Center of the Division of Laboratories and Research, New York State Department
of Health, in cooperation with the Department's Saranac Lake District Office
and the Environmental Quality Research Unit of the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation, conducted a one-time survey (1971) of the lake
system and assembled information pointing to possibility of eutrophication
caused by the significant phosphate discharges from the college treatment
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plant. This survey also determined that phosphate was the limiting nutrient
in the dense population of potentially nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae. In
1972 the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency expressed interest in projects
which could clearly, and within a short period of time, show whether phosphate
was a key element in eutrophication and whether eutrophication in lakes
could be checked by point-source phosphorus control. Lower St. Regis Lake
was found to be well suited for such a study. There were two main reasons:
(1) from all that could be ascertained, phosphate discharges from a single
source seemed to cause the degradation of the lake. The evidence at that
time was indirect: the better quality of the upper lakes, which did not
have similarly sized discharges; (2) the existing sewage treatment plant
could immediately be converted to include the chemical precipitation of
phosphates, while the effectiveness of land disposal (groundwater recharge)
could be studied in subsequent years.
These advantages were considered more significant than the obvious
disadvantage that the basin was ungaged, so that it was virtually impossible
to assess natural hydraulic and nutrient inputs with great accuracy - a
disadvantage that would make judgment of the success of restoration efforts
dependent on a comparison of the lower lake with the upper lakes. For these
and the other reasons, the project was designed primarily as a demonstration
of practical results that can be obtained with phosphate point-source control,
rather than as an intensive limnological research study.
Three additional goals were also set and achieved: (l) to gain exper-
ience in the chemical precipitation of phosphate in a small biological
treatment plant, seasonally and under severe winter conditions; (2) to
assess the phosphate-absorptive capacity of sandy soil of low alkali con-
tent; and (3) to gain experience with low-cost telemetering systems for the
collection of physical and physiochemical data in remote areas and under
severe climatic conditions.
Investigations under goals 1 and 2 are described in a separate report
by T. J. Tofflemire (1975). The telemetering system was described in
specifications submitted separately to the U. S. Environmental Protection
Agency (Kachemov et al., 1973) and has been implemented and tested with
several modifications, most recently in a version for stream and lake
level gaging involving four remote stations and one printing master station.
RATIONALE
The decision to attempt restoration of Lower St. Regis Lake by point-
source phosphorus control was based on the apparent effect of the point
source, which contributed an estimated loading of
1.2 x 103 g P • yr~! • cap-1 x 1000 people
= 0.82 g P • m~2 • yr'1
145.7 x 104 m2
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where g = gram
P = phosphorus
yr = year
cap~l - per capita (per person)
m2 = square meter
prior to the State's ban on phosphate detergents (July 1972) and about half
that amount after the ban was in effect. Phosphorus was established as the
critical nutrient in bioassay experiments.
The circumstances permitted immediate seasonal chemical removal of
80-85$> of sewage phosphorus by chemical precipitation. This could later be
converted to year-round removal of a presumably larger fraction by ground-
water recharge under soil and topographic conditions which could be judged
as effective as those of Lake George Village, Warren County, New York
(Fuhs, 1972; Aulenbach et al., 1975), where a similar system has been in
operation for over 35 years.
Ferric chloride rather than alum was selected as a precipitant for
phosphate (for details see Tofflemire, 1975) in order to avoid the possible
stimulation of microbial sulfate reduction in the lake by sulfate additions.
In many freshwater environments rich in.organic matter, sulfate is the
limiting element for this process, which causes formation of hydrogen sulfide
and the operation of a sulfur cycle with its various undesirable aspects.
In the case of Lower St. Regis Lake it was particularly important to retain
the substantial amounts of iron which cycle between the hypolimnion and the
sediments for the precipitation of phosphates in situ. Addition of sulfates
to the unstabilized sediment in the presence of iron would have resulted in
the preferential formation of hydrated ferrous sulfides and a corresponding
loss of phosphate-binding capacity.
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SECTION 2
CONCLUSIONS
Point-source phosphorus control has proved to be an effective means
of reducing eutrophication in Lower St. Regis Lake. Eliminating summer
inputs of sewage phosphates would have resulted in a gradual improvement
of the lake, but year-round diversion of sewage effluent to sand beds
resulted in more extensive and more rapid recovery. The latter method is
probably easier to practice in small installations and with an adverse
winter climate. Recovery was aided by both the morphometry and the
chemistry of the lake and its basin. This treatment method permits the
acid-binding capacity (alkalinity) of the wastewater to reach the lake,
counteracting in a desirable manner the natural acidity and thereby tending
to reduce productivity.
Details of the engineering aspects have been reported by Tofflemire
(1975).
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SECTION 3
RECOMMENDATIONS
Phosphate should be the target for eutrophication control in fresh-
water lakes wherever (a) phosphate is the limiting element or (b) nitrogen
is limiting, but nitrogen-fixing algae are present or may become established.
The effectiveness of phosphorus removal on eutrophication reduction
depends on the total reduction of the phosphorus loading, modified by
factors such as the availability to algae of phosphorus from natural
sources; basin morphology and stratification; seasonal patterns of input
and lake flushing; and lake chemistry, particularly the availability of
phosphate-binding cations. The speed of recovery depends on these same
factors and also on the oxygen demand and nutrient content of the sediments,
particularly on the sulfur cycle and the carbon dioxide-methane cycle.
Phosphate removal can be practiced by addition of iron or aluii and
subsequent removal of mineral phosphate sludge at a secondary (biological)
treatment plant. Alum or other sulfates should not be chosen when sulfate
additions may promote sulfate reduction and thereby reduce the iron-binding
capacity of the sediments. Ferric chloride, however, is corrosive, and its
handling is difficult at low temperatures (Tofflemire, 1975).
Complete diversion of secondary effluent to natural sand beds several
hundred meters or more from the lake can be convenient and effective for
virtually complete long-term removal of phosphate, while soluble elements
and most of the nitrogen will pass through. The sand beds should be tested
thoroughly with regard to their hydraulic and chemical properties, but the
phosphate-retaining capability even of sands that are quite low in alkaline
constituents can be adequate.
This solution is particularly convenient where a very high degree of
phosphate removal must be attained. The method is not restricted to the
treatment of wastes from conventionally sewered areas. It can be adopted
to lakeshore developments using the less-expensive pressure-sewer systems
or any other means of collection and treatment.
The indicated methods of phosphate removal, particularly groundwater
recharge, permit the alkalinity (acid-binding capacity) of the wastewater
to reach the lake. In lakes with high natural acidity this may have a
beneficial effect on the metabolism of the lake as- a whole - a significant
advantage of treatment for phosphate removal, as opposed to complete
diversion of the sewage.
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SECTION 4
LAND USE IN THE ST. REGIS LAKES BASIN AND THE
HISTORY OF THE PAUL SMITHS SETTLEMENT
The Lower St. Regis Lake watershed is sparsely populated, except for the
hamlet of Paul Smiths. There is very little economic activity in the area,
except for Paul Smith's College, which has a population of about 1,000 during
the academic year, and a small amount of lumbering and agriculture, the latter
estimated as less than 5 percent of the watershed. The area is well suited
for recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking, and boating. Two
ponds in the basin, Long Pond and Beach Pond, are special-regulation trout
ponds, containing trophy trout.
The lake shorelines are densely wooded with white pine, several birch
species, spruce, larch, and shrubs.
The shores of Upper St. Regis Lake and, to a lesser extent, of Spitfire
Lake (which flow into Lower St. Regis Lake) are populated with summer homes,
mostly owned by people in the upper income brackets. This summer population
may amount to 500 people in an estimated 165 homes on the upper lake and
approximately 60 on Spitfire Lake. The year-round population of these two
lakes is estimated at les's than 100.
With the exception of the student enrollment, the Paul Smiths settlement,
including the "suburbs" of Easy Street and Otisville has a year-round popu-
lation of approximately 800. Some of their dwellings have septic tanks which
lead into Easy Street Creek. Five isolated cottages for temporary occupancy
oh Lower St. Regis Lake have septic tanks more than 30 meters (100 feet) from
shore.
The Paul Smiths settlement dates back to the founding of a hotel on the
shore of the lake in 1859 by Apollos (Paul) Smith, whose name the settlement
now bears. The hotel developed into a flourishing resort as indicated by
the growing summer population. (The resort was closed during the winter,
presumably from October through May.) Table 1 reflects the guests and resort
staff, including guides, as estimated from information in an article by
Leslie (1965-1966) and the Paul Smith's College catalog (1974-1975). There
also was an extensive horse stable.
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Table 1. SUMMER POPULATION OF PAUL SMITHS SETTLEMENT
Years Population
1359 - 1869 25
1870 - 1879 211
1880 - 1901 241
1902 - 1929 632
In 1930 the hotel burned down, and population in the settlement dwindled to
approximately 30 until 1946, when, according to the will of Paul Smith's son,
a college for forestry and hotel management was established in memory of
Paul Smith. Since then the population of students has risen steadily (Table 2),
Table 2. STUDENT" POPULATION OF PAUL SMITH'S COLLEGE
Years
Summer - Spring Summer Academic year
1946 - 1950 31 170
1950 - 1955 46 , 153
1955 - 1960 101 319
1960 - 1965 137 546
1965 - 1970 156 616
1970 - 1975 201 664
1975 242
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SECTION 5
PREVIOUS AND PRELIMINARY STUDIES AND POLLUTION ABATEMENT MEASURES
The effects of population on Lower St. Regis Lake may have been felt
at all times. The 1930 Biological Survey of the St. Lawrence Watershed by
the New York State Conservation Department (1931) contains reports on aquatic
weeds, plankton, and the chemistry of the St. Regis Lakes in contributions
by W. C. Muenscher (p. 121-143, 145-155) and H. M. Faigenbaum (p. 167-177).
Muenscher noted Secchi disc readings (a measure of water transparency) of
1.7 meters (m) in June and July and 2.0 m in August in Lower St. Regis Lake,
while Upper St. Regis Lake showed a transparency of 2.4, 2.5, and 2.5 m for
those months. He noted that these values on both lakes were not unusual in
that area. The plankton count (cells per milliliter Jml] ) was in the range
of 100-300 blue-green algae, 100 green algae, 300-800 diatoms, and 100-300
protozoa in the 0-5-m layer of Lower St. Regis Lake. Algae counts in Upper
St. Regis Lake were similar. Water blooms consisting of Anabaena and
Microcystis were noted in the St. Regis Lakes in August.
Unfortunately the survey did not procure oxygen data on the St. Regis
Lakes and is not very specific with regard to fish populations in the lower
lake.
Algal blooms in Lower St. Regis Lake were definitely noted by local
residents in August in the years around 1955. These blooms reportedly
disappeared after Labor Day. Since 1963 the blooms have appeared earlier
and, since 1968, been more persistent. Flick and Webster (1964) mentioned a
heavy bloom in 1964, which they believed was caused primarily by pollution
from Paul Smith's College and magnified by low water. The turbidity from
algae was so great as to discourage fishing.
According to the State Health Department District Office at Saranac Lake,
the reason for installing sewerage at the college campus in 1967 was an
increasing problem with overflow of the subsurface disposal system (leach
fields, tile beds) as population increased. Flick and Webster (1964), however,
voiced hope that construction of a sewage treatment plant also might alleviate
the algal bloom problem. A later report (Flick and Webster, 1965) mentioned
construction of a dam at the outlet of the lake to replace a log jam swept out
by high waters in 1964 and listed Anabaena, 18 genera of green algae, 7 genera
of diatoms, and 16 genera of zooplankton in the lake effluent. In 1968
Flick and Webster described a particularly heavy summer bloom that caused
the St. Regis River to look like "pea soup" for a distance of over 32 km
(20 mi) downstream from Lower St. Regis Lake. Nutrients from the sewage
treatment plant outfall were incriminated, and total phosphorus values of 83
8
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and 144 micrograms per liter (\ig liter ) in the lower lake, as opposed to
22 in Spitfire Lake immediately above, (all at 1.5-m depth) were cited as
proof. Secchi disc values were 0.45 m in the lower lake and 3.6 m in Spit-
fire Lake. A meeting with local officials to discuss the problem and the
possible threat of fish kills was scheduled for March 1969.
Dr. Carl Schofield of the Department of Natural Resources, Cornell
University, in a letter dated August 7, 1968, to Mr. William A. Flick of
Cornell's Brandon Park Fishery Laboratory, suggested that the soils in the
area have a "tremendous capacity for phosphate retention" and that, according
to Cooper (1967, published 1969), "forest fertilization" was a possible means
of removing phosphate from treated sewage. It may well be that the planning
toward land disposal was based on Schofield's suggestion. Schofield also
presented chemical data such as the following: on August 25, 1967, at
1.5-m depth, total phosphate-phosphorus (|j,g liter""!) was 11.8 in Upper St.
Regis Lake, 36.3 in Lower St. Regis Lake, and 18.7 in the St. Regis River
11 km (7 mi) below the college. Sediment chemical data which Schofield
obtained are discussed elsewhere in this report (p. 55 )•
During a preliminary survey of Lower St. Regis Lake in October 1970
(Allen, 1970) reactive phosphorus was 16 p.g liter'1 in Easy Street Creek above
the Paul Smith's College effluent entry, 10,000 in the effluent itself,
8.3-15 in Lower St. Regis Lake, and 5.6 in Spitfire Lake. Total soluble
phosphorus was 19 |ig liter"1 in Easy Street Creek, 11,000 in the effluent,
15-16 in the lower lake, and 5.6 in Spitfire Lake. Total particulate
phosphorus was 1.2 |j,g liter"1 in Easy Street Creek, 1,400 in the effluent,
5.0-5.7 in the lower lake, and 5.7 in Spitfire Lake.
/•
A one-day intensive survey of the St. Regis Lakes was conducted by the
present authors on August 5, 1971 (New York State Dept. of Health, 1972). The
bloom was readily apparent in the lower lake. Secchi disc transparency was
0.7 m in the lower lake and 3.2 m in Spitfire Lake. Hypolimnic oxygen depletion
was noticeable in Upper St. Regis Lake (1.0 milligram per liter [mg liter'^lat
19.5 m), and the lower lake had no oxygen in its hypolimnion (thermocline at
5m). A considerable concentration of reduced iron (130 microgram-atoms
per liter |ji,g-at liter"1] ) was found in the hypolimnion. During a special
study in the same year, a carbon dioxide (C02) stripping device with a
C02-specific infrared analyzer was used to study the gradient of productivity
between Spitfire and Lower St. Regis lakes. Over a distance of 200 m in the
channel between the lakes the transparency changed from a fairly clear brown
to thick green, with a significant drop of C02 partial pressure from
supersaturation to a marked undersaturation and with an increase in pH from
6.2 to 9.5 (sunny afternoon). Bioassay results (Table 3) following the
method outlined in Fuhs et al. (1972) using natural plankton showed phosphate
as the only limiting nutrient in spite of severe nitrogen depletion of the
water. The depletion reflected the nitrogen-fixing ability of the pre-
dominant alga Anabaena. Carbon to phosphorus atomic ratios in the epilimnic
plankton were; as high as 488, indicating luxury carbon assimilation in
phosphate limitation (Fuhs et al., 1972). The elementary composition of the
sediments was also determined (for results see p.58).
In an unusual coincidence, Flick took aerial photographs of Lower
-------
Table 3. BIOASSAYS OF LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE, 1971
June3 August"
Control — no additions (mg liter"1 CODC)
Growth with additions (ratio of sample CODC- to control CODC)
Phosphorus
Nitrogen
Iron - EDTAC c'helate
EDTAcchelate (control)
Trace metal mix
Vitamin mix
Sodium
Phosphorus and nitrogen
Silicon
12.8
7.72
1.68
1.03
1.30
1.04
1.14
1.03
8.14
1.38
41.58
4.74
1.09
1.23
1,34
0.66
0.82
0.93
3.38
0.95
b Sample collected 8/5/71. Incubation commenced 8/6/71. COD tests done 9/2/71.
c COD and EDTA definitions: see List of Abbreviations and Symbols (p. ix).
-------
St. Regis Lake on August 6, 1971 at 2:00 P.M., one day after our survey. The
photographs reproduced here show the algal bloom condition and the sharp
transition in water color in the channel from Spitfire Lake (Fig. 1). Photo-
graphs taken five years later on August 3, 1976 (Fig. 2) show that the water
color of Lower St. Regis Lake now closely resembles that of the upper lake.
There are no public beaches on Lower St. Regis Lake, and bacteriologic
data as a measure of direct pollution are therefore not available.
There is no apparent problem with aquatic weed growth, as pollution has
primarily resulted in the development of planktonic algae. The heavy weed
growths are restricted to the narrow, shallow channels of the inlet (from
Spitfire Lake) and the outlet (St. Regis River) and do not seem to have
changed in extent since the 1930 Biological Survey.
11
-------
Fig. 1 (a) General view of Lower St. Regis Lake, August 6, 1971.
(b) Close-up of The Slough (channel from Spitfire Lake, upper right)
entering Lower St. Regis Lake, August 6, 1971. Note the color
difference of the two bodies of water. Aerial photograph, green
separation from Kodak Kodachrome slide. Photography credit:
Wto. Flick.
12
-------
Fig. 2 (a) General view of Lower St. Regis Lake, August 3, 1976.
(b) Close-up of The Slough (channel from Spitfire Lake, upper right)
entering Lower St. Regis Lake, August 3, 1976. Mote the color
similarity of the two bodies of water. Aerial photograph, black
and whito print from Kodak Vericolor II negative. Photography
credit: John Goerg, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
13
-------
SECTION 6
HYEROLOGY OF LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
GENERAL
Please refer to Figs. 3 and 4 for hydrographic information and Table 4
for morphometric characteristics.
The entire Lower St. Regis Lake basin lies in Franklin County, New York,
in the towns of Brighton, Santa Clara, and Harrietstown. The lowest elevation
is that of the lake, 494 m (1,619 feet [ft]); the highest is St. Regis Moun-
tain, 876 m (2,873 ft).
The St. Regis Lakes consist of three lakes (see Fig. 5): Upper St. Regis
(the most southerly), Spitfire (the middle), and Lower St. Regis (the most
northerly). The lakes are connected by two navigable channels, the upper lake
flowing into Spitfire Lake, which flows into the lower lake. The lower lake
discharges in a westerly direction. The St. Regis River begins at the outlet
of the lower lake and flows northerly to the St. Lawrence River. The St. Regis
Lakes basin is thus a subbasin of the St. Lawrence River Basin.
In addition to the three lakes, there are numerous ponds in the basin.
The major ones are Black, Long, and Barnum ponds in the northern part of the
basin; the two Spectacle Ponds in the western part; and Bear, Little Long,
and Roiley ponds in the southern part.
The major perennial streams entering .the lakes are Black Pond stream
(actually unnamed), which carries the discharge from Black and Long ponds and
enters Lower St. Regis Lake near the outlet to the St. Regis River; Barnum Pond
stream (also unnamed), which carries the flow from Barnum Pond into the lower
lake; Easy Street Creek, which enters the lower lake; two unnamed streams which
enter the southern side of the upper lake; and the first of two unnamed creeks
(referred to in this study as Spitfire Creek No. 1 or simply Spitfire Creek),
which enters the east side of the connecting channel between Spitfire Lake and
the lower lake. In addition, some intermittent streams exist in the basin, but
they are not shown on United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographical
quadrangle maps.
A stream running north from Spectacle Pond to the St. Regis River is
shown on the 15-minute USGS St. Regis quadrangle map. This stream no longer
exists; it was eliminated in the 1940s by construction of outlet culverts from
the north Spectacle Pond to Upper St. Regis Lake. The discharge of the
Spectacle Ponds subbasin is through these culverts.
14
-------
BARNUM POND
OUTLET
n
., SWAMP i
\ iWAivir ', / s
SWAMP
EASY STREET
CREEK
PAUL SMITHS
COLLEGE
OUTLET TO
ST. REGIS
RIVER
HYDROGRAPHC CHART
OF
LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
PAUL SMITHS, NEW YORK
200 0 200
SCALE IN FEET
SOUNDINGS IN FEET
TAKEN FROM SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MAP
DATED AUGUST 1947.
CHANNEL FROM
SPITFIRE LAKE
Fig. 3. Hydrographic chart of Lower St. Regis Lake,
-------
LAKE AREA, ha
50 100
15O
Fig. 4. Contour depth versus lake area, Lower St. Regis Lake.
16
-------
Table 4. MCRPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS
Parameter
Water area, km2 (mi2)
Length, km (mi)
Maximum width, km (mi)
Maximum depth, m (ft).
Mean depth, m (ft)
Length of shoreline, km (mi) -Lake
-Islands
Lower St. Regis Lake
1.53 (0.59) (main body)
0.31 (0.12) (outlet arm)
1.871 (1.16) (main body)
1.258 (0.78) (main body)
11.3 (37) (main body)
5.6 (18) (main body)
13.7 (8.5);
None
Spitfire Lake
1.19 (0.46)
1,855 (1.15)
1.081 (0.67)
7.9 (26)
4.1 (13)
7.1 (4.4)
None
Upper St. Regis
Lake
3.29 (1.27)
3.194 (1.98)
2.226 (1.38)
• 27.4 (90)
6.7 (22)
13.7 (8.5) •
3.1 (1.9)
Elevation, m (ft)
Largest tributary
Volume, m3 (a-ft)
Drainage area, km2 (mi2)
493.4 (1619)
Spitfire Lake
8.23 x 10°
(6.67 x 103)
54.91 (21.20)
493.4 (1619) 493.4 (1619)
Upper St. Regis Little Long Pond
Lake and Spectacle Ponds
4.38 x 10°
(3.55 x 102)
2.04 x 107
(1.65 x 104)
Spitfire and Upper St. Regis lakes combined:
30.82 (11.90)
Islands None
Units of measure: see List of Abbreviations and Symbols (p. ix )
None
-------
N
« r»««»'
"^^
'•-
r^--^^.^ 2' \
< • „ *h-, '•• ~i •/""
i— ^
,-
^ " ' .-.r
ST. REGIS LAKES
LAKE STATIONS
GAGE STATIONS
174 LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
167 SPITFIRE LAKE
175 UPPER ST. REGIS LAKE
I ST. REGIS RIVER
2 BLACK POND OUTLET
3 8ARNUM POND OUTLET
4 EASY STREET CREEK
5A SPITFIRE CREEK NO. 1
5B SPITFIRE CREEK NO. 2
Fig. 5. Drainage basin and location of lake and tributary stations.
16
-------
GEOLOGY OF THE ST. REGIS AREA
A general review of the geology of the area is given by Ailing (1916); a
more detailed description is found in Buddington (1953). Lower St. Regis
Lake was near the edge of glacial lake Lower Newman. The fine sand with some
gravel underlying the flat terrace at Paul Smiths may have been deposited as a
delta in glacial lake Lower Newman by melt water flowing from the northeast
along crevasses parallel to the edge of the retreating melting ice. The
deltaic origin is suggested by the flat terrace. The melt water streams
deposited the sand and gravel of the northeast-southwest trending eskers and
kames. Lakes, such as Osgood Pond, Church Pond, Cooler Pond, and Lower St.
Regis Lake, may be large kettle holes left when ice blocks melted out from
under the kame, esker, and delta deposits after glacial lake Lower Newman
drained. A northeast-trending esker lies near Paul Smiths.
The bedrock surface suggests the area is located on the southeast wall of
a buried valley that bends to the southwest. It may run from the present re-
charge bed (northeast of Paul Smith's College) toward the mouth of Easy Street
Creek and into the present basin of Lower St. Regis Lake. Cooler Pond may lie
over this valley.
Davis (1971) reports that the bedrock of the area is anorthosite. This
type of rock underlies the rock knob on the point near Paul Smith's College.
Buddington (1953) shows syenite outcroppings near Paul Smiths' Easy Street
to the east and anorthosite outcroppings north of Osgood Pond. Paul Smiths
lies on the west flank of a mass of syenite and gabbro.
Seismic records taken by the New York State Geological Survey in connec-
tion with the companion engineering study (Tofflemire, 1975) show low bedrock
seismic velocities, which indicate the rock is either highly fractured or
weathered.
GROUNDWATER INTERFLOWS
Groundwater flows into and out of the basin along the buried bedrock
valley. Some flow may occur in fracture zones in the bedrock. Estimates
indicate that groundwater flows are relatively small and can be neglected
in water balance calculations.
In conjunction with the construction of the sewage treatment beds, seis-
mic profiles were run, wells installed, and soil samples obtained. As a re-
sult, some information exists on subsurface conditions in the vicinity of the
beds. This area lies near the drainage divide between Osgood Pond, Church
Pond and the lower lake. Since Osgood and Church ponds are at 504 m (1,651 ft)
approximate elevation, relative to 494 (1,619) for the lower lake, and the
soil is sandy and quite permeable, the possibility of an interflow into the
St. Regis basin exists.
An upper limit of 23 liters per second (L sec ) (0.8 cubic feet per
second [cfs] ) was obtained by assuming Darcy flow and using maximum possible
values for hydraulic gradient, permeability, and area of flow. A more probable
value obtained by using average values is 3 L sec" (0.1 cfs), which repre-
sents only about 0.2% of the mean flow of the St. Regis River.
19
-------
If interflows exist in the southern end of the basin, they would be out
of the basin, offsetting the inflow from the Osgood Pond area. For example,
Roiley Pond is at 494-m (l,620-ft) elevation, versus Little Clear Pond at
487 (1,597), which lies outside of the basin. For these reasons, interbasin
flows are considered for the purposes of this study to be zero.
DRAINAGE AREAS
The St. Regis Lakes basin is defined for this study as the entire water-
shed area above the USGS gaging station on the St. Regis River (USGS designa-
tion 04268390). The station is located on the north bank of the river about
305 m (1,000 ft) downstream from the old power-dam outlet of the lower lake.
The drainage areas (Table 5) were obtained by planimetry from USGS
l:62,500-scale topographic maps. Many of the values were verified by the
Albany USGS office.
FLOW RECORDS, LAKE LEVELS
Unfortunately, the St. Regis basin does not lend itself easily to gaging.
Stream gaging stations were established for the St. Regis River, Barnum Pond
outlet stream, Black Pond outlet stream, Easy St. Creek, and two small unnamed
creeks referred to as Spitfire Creek No. 1 and No. 2.
The St. Regis River gaging station consists of a stilling well and a
continuous recorder (initially a continuous chart recorder, now a punch-tape
recorder). All the other gage stations consisted of staff gages which were
intended to be read once a day. However, there were many days when readings
were omitted, so daily staff gage readings are not complete. All these gages
are still in place.
The St. Regis River flow records are the most accurate and complete
records of this study. For the duration of the study period the records are
complete, with only minor exceptions. Flow records for the other staff gage
stations are incomplete, and one object of this study was to fill in the gaps
for the daily flow values (see p. 23).
Radiotransmitting gages were available in the second half of the study
but were unreliable, mainly due to difficult gain settings in response to
atmospheric conditions. Change from AM to FM operation alleviated the problem,
and performance runs were successful toward the end of the second year of the
study. The flow calculations in this report were developed after the first
year of the study and therefore do not utilize any telemetered information.
The Barnum Pond subbasin is about 7.77 square kilometers (km2) (3 square
miles [mi ]), a considerable, portion of the gaged area within the basin.
Unfortunately, the flow records could not be utilized in this report. The
gage was located only about 300 m upstream from the lower lake and apparently
was affected by the lake level. This "backwater" effect was previously sus-
pected by both USGS and our personnel, and further analysis of the flow records
confirmed the problem.
20
-------
Table 5. ST. REGIS LAKE STUDY, DRAINAGE AREAS
(km2 [mi2])
Total area of Lower St. Regis Lake drainage basin
Total area of lower basin (Lower St. Regis Lake)
Total area of upper basin (Upper St. Regis Lake
and Spitfire Lake)
Total area Spectacle Ponds basin
Total land area of Lower St. Regis Lake drainage basin
Land area lower basin
Land area upper basin
Land area Spectacle Ponds
Gaged stations basin area (above USGS staff gage)
Spitfire Creek No. 1
Spitfire Creek No. 2
Easy Street Creek
Barnum Pond
Black and Long Ponds
Total water areas
Barnum Pond
Black Pond
Long Pond
Lower St. Regis Lake
(main body)
(narrow outlet)
Upper St. Regis Lake
Spitfire Lake
Roiley Pond
Little Long Pond
Bear Pond
Spectacle Ponds (2)
Unnamed pond
54.91
24.09
27.20
3.63
46.88
21.65
21.96
3.26
1.01
0.91
1.97
7.69
4.14
8.03
0.34
0.31
0.05
1.84
1.53
0.31
3.29
1.19
0.05
0.34
0.23
0.34
0.05
(21.20)a
(9.30)
(10.50)
(1.40)
(18.10)
(8.36)
(8.48)
(1.26)
t
(0.39)k
(0.35)b
(0.76) a
(2.97)a
(1.60)
(3.10)
(0.13)a
(0.12)a
(0.02)a
(0.7l)a
(0.59)
(0.12)
(1.27)a
(0.46)a
(0.02)a
(0.13)a
(0.09)a
(0.13)a
(0.02)a
a Values verified by United States Geological Survey (USGS), Albany, N.Y.
k These areas include a third ungaged stream. The actual areas of Spitfire
Creek No. 1 and No. 2 are therefore less than shown.
21
-------
Spitfire No. 1 and No. 2 are small creeks. During the record period
analyzed, Spitfire No. 2 at times had no flow, and Spitfire No. 1 had minimum
flows (about 0.85 L sec'1 [0.03 cfs]). As expected with small creeks, the
flow records-are not very accurate. There is a large spread of points for
actual gaged flows versus the staff gage readings used in establishing the
rating curves. In addition, a third creek is located between Spitfire No. 1
and No. 2, and its drainage area is included in theirs, since it is difficult
to delineate separate drainage areas for the three creeks.
For- these reasons and because the Spitfire Creeks drain into the upper
basin, the Spitfire flow records were not utilized in the general water balance
calculations. Since the flows are only a very small part of the total basin
flow, there was no discernible effect on the hydrologic values. However gaps
in daily flow records were filled in by methods discussed below.
Until spring 1974, the only man-made discharge to Lower St. Regis Lake
was from the Paul Smith's College Sewage Treatment Plant, with a flow of 38
to 230 cubic meters per day (m3 day-1) (10,000 to 60,000 gallons per day
|gpd]), all derived from groundwater sources within the basin. Flow from the
college now reaches the lake via the recharge beds. Besides the college,
Lower St. Regis Lake has less than 10 cottages, whereas the two upper lakes
have about 225, served by septic systems ultimately fed by well water from the
immediate vicinity.
Daily lake level readings were obtained from a staff gage located at
Paul Smith's College dock on Lower St. Regis Lake. Paul Smith's College per-
sonnel regulate the -flow of the St. Regis River and the lake level and main-
tain lake level records from a staff gage located at the outlet of the lower
lake. Although the two gages are located about 4.0 km (2.5 mi) apart, the
readings correlate very well. As a result, by using the two separate sets of
lake level readings, missing gaps in the lake level readings could be filled in.
PRECIPITATION
A continuous-reading precipitation gage is installed at Paul Smith's
College, which is inside the Lower St. Regis Lake drainage basin. The nearest
existing U. S. weather station is at Gabriels, approximately 5.6 km (3.5 mi)
east of Lower St. Regis Lake.
During the period of interest, records exist for the Paul Smiths station
from April to November 1973. Readings were discontinued during the winter of
1973-74 and resumed in late April 1974.
Precipitation records from the Paul Smiths and Gabriels stations were
compared for the period April to November 1973. In general, there is little
agreement between recorded precipitation values for the two stations, with
only a few exceptions. The problem appears to be with the Paul Smiths station,
where many periods of data are missing, apparently due to equipment problems,
personnel inexperience, and various other factors. Also, there are quite a
few obvious errors in the data as reported.
For July and September 1973 the precipitation data for both stations
22
-------
agree quite well. This indicates that precipitation patterns are similar
for the Paul Smiths area and the Gabriels area, and the Gabriels station data
can be considered applicable to the St. Regis Lake study area. Annual and
monthly precipitation amounts can be expected to be similar. However, the
agreement would be expected to less close in shorter time frames; daily amounts
especially may not agree. As a result, daily precipitation values for the St.
Regis Lake basin were obtained by using the Gabriels station data.
LAKE EVAPORATION
Because of the method chosen to compute the water balance in the basin,
only lake evaporation values were required, not values for total evapotrans-
piration over land and water.
Canton, about 74 km (46 mi) west of the St. Regis Lakes basin, is the
nearest weather station where pan evaporation is measured. Gabriels, about
5.6 km (3.5 mi) east of the basin, is the nearest station where temperature is
measured. In order to obtain daily lake evaporation values, Canton pan values
were utilized with an assumed pan coefficient of 0.70 (Chow, 1964). We con-
sidered this more accurate than utilizing temperature data from the Gabriels
station plus an empirical method for estimating evaporation and then extrap-
olating to the St. Regis Lakes basin.
For water year 1973 (October 1972-September 1973) evaporation for the
basin was computed to be 49.0 centimeters (cm) (19.3 inches [in]). The Canton
pan evaporation value for the same period was 70.6 cm (27.8 in); applying the
pan coefficient yields 49.5 cm (19.5 in). Although this is not an independent
check, it indicates that using Canton pan values and a coefficient of 0.70 is
a reasonable assumption.
FLOW CORRELATIONS, EXTRAPOLATIONS, INTERPOLATIONS
The water balance for the St. Regis Lakes basin was computed utilizing
hydrologic records from October 1, 1972, through March 31, 1975, a period of
911 days. Existing records from August 21 through September 30, 1972 are not
complete enough to be included in the analysis. The present model is based
on information obtained as of March 31, 1975.
The main purpose of the correlations, extrapolations, and interpolations
was to fill in missing data. The records for the St. Regis River are essen-
tially complete, but all the other stations have some gaps in the daily records.
For 1-day gaps in the data, linear interpolation was used when flow was
decreasing. For increasing flow with no precipitation, the preceding day's
flow was used. When precipitation occurred, the following day's flow was used.
In order to fill in gaps larger than 1 day, numerous correlations between
pairs of variables (flows, precipitation, lake levels) were attempted. The
correlations were obtained by linear regression, fitting six different-type
curves by the least-squares method. The highest correlation coefficient
obtained for each correlation is shown in Table 6.
23
-------
ro
Table 6. ST. REGIS HYDROLOGY MATRIX
Best correlation coefficients obtained by linear regression; 6
curve types fitted. Total record period: 21 Aug 72 to 31 Mar 74.
St. Regis
River
Barnum
Pond
Black
Pond
Easy St.
Creek
Spitfire
No. 1
Spitfire
No. 2
Lake level
Precipitation
D S*' n Barnum Black Easy St. Spitfire Spitfire Lake Precipi-
Regis R. Pond Pond Creek No 1 No 2 level tation
0.216 0.538 0,263 0.433 0.093 0.029 0.027
0.216 0.792
0.538 0.232 0.064
0.263 0.232 0.454 0.536
0.433 0.454 0.541 0.171
0.093 0.541
0.029 0.792 0.064 0.175
0.027 0.536 0.171 0.175
-------
Table 6 (continued). ST. REGIS HYDROLOGY MATRIX
Other correlations (partial record period, seasonal, etc.)
ond vs. St. Regis R. 1 Jan 73 -
1 Mar 73 -
17 Nov 72 -
2 Aug 73 -
3 Dec 72 -
19 Oct 73 -
15 Jan 74 -
. vs. Black Pond 19 Oct 73 -
1 Oct 72 -
3 Dec 72 -
7 Nov 72 -
15 Jan 74 -
'ond vs. Easy St. 7 Nov 72 -
,. vs. St. Regis R. 21 Aug 72 -
21 Aug 72 -
17 Nov 72 -
3 Dec 72 -
19 Oct 73 -
15 Jan 74 -
31 Dec 73
31 May 73
3 Dec 72
14 Sep 73
11 Mar 73
25 Nov 73
2 Apr 74
25 Nov 73
19 Dec 72
11 Mar 73
18 Dec 72
2 Apr 74
18 Dec 72
21 Aug 73
21 Jun 73
3 Dec 72
11 Mar 73
25 Nov 73
2 Apr 74
0.562
0.532
0.334
0.932
0.397
0.655
0.574
0.073
0.292
0.275
0.262
0.237
0.299
0.337
0.328
0.018
0.333
0.018
0.155
Correlations using actual USGSaflow data (very limited number of points)
Barnum Pond vs. St. Regis R. 0.584
Black Pond vs. St. Regis R. 0.722
Easy St. vs. St. Regis R. 0.367
Spitfire No. 1 vs. St. Regis R. 0.510
Spitfire No. 2 vs. St. Regis R. 0.168
Other correlations
Spitfire No. 1 vs. St. Regis R. 13 Feb 73 - 19 Jul 73 0.469
Spitfire No. 1 vs. Easy St. 13 Feb 73 - 19 Jul 73 0.594
Spitfire No. 2 vs. St. Regis R. 13 Feb 73 - 19 Jul 73 0.358
Spitfire No. 2 vs. Easy St. 13 Feb 73 - 19 Jul 73 0.760
Black Pond vs. St. Regis R. 1 Oct 73 - 31 Mar 74 0.556b
Correlations from computed quantities (hydrologic daily values)
Interlake flow vs. St. Regis River 0.98+
Interlake flow vs. precipitation 0.07
Total ungaged runoff vs. Easy St. 0.28
Total ungaged runoff vs. precipitation 0.15
a United States Geological Survey.
k Includes 547 points, no missing data. Includes all interpolated,
extrapolated data. Does not change results very much (original
matrix yielded 0.538).
25
-------
In general, there was little or no correlation between hydrologic vari-
ables in the period August 21, 1972, to March 31, 1974. Since all the runoff
from the basin passes by the St. Regis gage station and the records for that
station are the most accurate and complete of the study, we attempted to
correlate all the other streams with the St. Regis River. Unfortunately,
because the St. Regis River is regulated by man, there is essentially no
correlation with the flows of the other streams. Similarly, there is corre-
lation between precipitation and the flows of the various streams.
It was possible to obtain satisfactory correlations (considered satis-
factory if the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.5) for partial
periods of record, seasonal periods, periods when the St. Regis River outlet
was not changed, etc. Many of the gaps were filled in from these correlations.
In some cases judgment had to be exercised in filling in missing data.
Strict adherence to the above rules of interpolation, extrapolation, etc.
sometimes yielded flows that were obviously in error, and the values were
adjusted by the method best referred to as an "educated guess."
WATER BALANCE
A surface runoff approach was chosen from among various possibilities to
determine the water balance of the St. Regis Lakes basin. Essentially this
approach treats the lakes as a basin and excludes the land from the water
balance. The boundary of this basin is defined by the lakes' boundary, and
water inputs and outputs are balanced. The St. Regis River receives all the
runoff from the basin, which must be equal to the various inputs (streams,
surface runoff from the land, groundwater flows) adjusted for storage. The
only storage quantity for the basin water balance is that due to changes in
lake levels. Precipitation falling on the lake is always an input; evapora-
tion is always an output.
Since the St. Regis River receives the total basin runoff:
St = Bl + Ea ± CX(L - L) + C2Pr - CgE + X (l)
A more convenient form of equation (l) is:
X = St - Bl - Ea ± C!(L - L) - C2Pr + C3E (2)
where St = St. Regis River flow
Bl = Black Pond outlet
Ea = Easy Street Creek
L = Lake level
L = Lake level from previous day
Pr = Precipitation
26
-------
E - Evaporation
X = Total runoff from ungaged areas
and the Constants are
GI = Lake level constant = 73.1 m3 sec"1 (2582 cfs)
1-m change per day in lake levels for the 6.32-km2 water area
of the three St. Regis Lakes = 73.1 m3 sec"1
C2 = Precipitation constant = 0.731 m3 sec"1 (25.815 cfs)
1 cm precipitation per day falling on the 6.32-km2 lakes
area = 0.731 m3 sec"1
C3 = Evaporation constant = 0.512 m3 sec-1 (18.081 cfs)
1 cm evaporation per day from the 6.32-km2 lakes area X 0.70
(assumed pan coefficient) - 0.512 m3 sec"1
As mentioned previously, since the Barnum Pond gage is considered unre-
liable, its records have not been incorporated into the water balance. The
Spitfire Creeks flows have also been omitted, as their flows are so small
that they have essentially no effect on the water balance. The areas of the
Barnum and Spitfire basins are therefore considered to be ungaged.
INTERLAKE FLOW
One aim of this study was to estimate daily flows through the channel
separating Lower St. Regis Lake from Spitfire Lake, i.e., the lower basin from
the upper basin.
A = Z ± 0.709 GI (I - L) + 0.709 C2Pr - 0.709 C3E (3)
where A = Interlake flow
Z - Runoff from the upper basin = 0.620 x X (10.17 area of upper
basin -r 16.40, total ungaged area = 0.620)
and 0.709 is derived by dividing the water area of Spitfire and
Upper St. Regis lakes by the water area of the three St. Regis lakes:
4.43 km2 -± 6.32 km2 = 0.709
27
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HYDROGRAPHS, HYDROLOGIC QUANTITIES
Daily hydrographs were obtained for the St. Regis River, Black Pond out-
let, Easy Street Creek, Spitfire Creek No. 1, Spitfire Creek No. 2, and the
interlake flow between Lower St. Regis Lake and Spitfire Lake, for the period
October 1, 1972, through March 31, 1975. Other daily hydrologic quantities
obtained were precipitation, evaporation, lake levels, total runoff from un-
gaged areas in the basin, and total runoff from the upper basin. Totals,
means, maximums and minimums, and standard deviations were obtained for all
these quantities.
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
In calculating the actual water balance, the only gaged areas were the
subbasins of Black and Long ponds and Easy Street Creek, accounting for
6.11 km2 (2.36 mi2) out of a total basin area of 54.9 km2 (21.20 mi2). The
loss of the Barnum Pond subbasin, 7.69 km2 (2.97 mi2), was quite serious as
it represented a large percentage of the gaged area. The percent of gaged
area in the basin must be increased if more accurate hydrologic quantities are
desired.
Although daily hydrographs were obtained, the accuracy of a water balance
improves as the period of time studied increases; e.g., weekly quantities are
more accurate than daily quantities. No consideration was given to such
factors as runoff times and times of concentration. This was not normally a
problem, since the basin is small, but there were exceptions. For example,
when a large amount of rain fell late in the day (or fell at a different time
in the St. Regis basin from in Gabriels), the runoff increase was noted the
next day. The water balances for the day of the storm and the next day appeared
to be in error, but if a water balance was obtained for the 2 days combined,
the result was satisfactory. Ultimately the hydrologic quantities will be
utilized to measure nutrient balances in the basin. Since the nutrient
measurements were obtained once every 2 weeks, the limitations in the daily
water balances should not present any problems.
Some correlations among the water balances were attempted using the
computed quantities in Table 7. A correlation coefficient of 0.98+ was
obtained for the interlake flow versus the flow of the St. Regis River. This
is not an independent check; however, the high correlation indicates reason-
able values for the interlake flow. As the flow of the river is regulated,
the interlake flow must change also, so the results agree with physical
reality.
28
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Table 7. SUMMARY OF HYDROLOGY DATA, LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
(1000 m3)
Year Month
1972 Oct
Nov
Dec
1973 Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1974 Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1975 Jan
Feb
Mar
Free.
124
194
242
83
76
96
209
272
295
169
85
294
106
178
206
126
62
170
159
196
157
302
186
223
75
188
136
88
107
148
Black Easy St.
Pond Creek
46
154
209
229
169
369
494
453
458
253
64
135
273
519
576
557
511
630
692
671
409
221
186
202
156
283
300
191
204
473
114
120
119
105
88
126
166
147
138
124
105
143
109
115
148
102
91
108
177
182
122
137
85
145
101
105
95
94
82
88
Un-
gaged
711
529
802
799
617
1983
1817
1418
976
631
406
566
484
424
998
742
501
1133
1750
1773
809
697
755
562
382
694
637
662
605
557
Inter-
lake
1300
981
1858
1723
1412
3550
3365
2294
1799
949
653
1607
570
879
2130
1929
1214
2318
2518
3211
1293
1373
1497
1195
1921
89
1521
1096
1234
2813
Lake
storage
11
-146
-17
90
90
34
-44
-140
-22
6
78
101
-79
-101
0
168
101
29
-297
45
-11
-17
101
0
527
-616
62
-84
-6
633
Evap.
-77
0
0
0
0
0
0
-140
-189
-207
-168
-120
-80
0
0
0
0
0
0
-110
-155
-190
-158
-107
-69
0
0
0
0
0
St. Regis
River
2230
1833
3212
3029
2452
6156
6006
4304
3455
1923
1221
2777
1382
2014
4057
3623
2478
4387
4998
5967
2625
2522
2652
2219
3093
743
2750
2048
2226
4712
Free. - precipitation
Evap. = evaporation
29
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SECTION 7
METHODOLOGY
-SAMPLING PRXEDURES
An intensive sampling program was begun in May 1972 and continued through
November 1974. The sampling points were close to those of 1971. Station
locations (see Fig. 5) were as follows:
Lower St. Regis Lake (174) in the deepest trench of the lake, located
centrally in the eastern basin between the entrances of Easy Street Creek
and The Slough (channel from Spitfire Lake) at Lat. 44°25'43" N and Long.
74°15100" W.
Spitfire Lake (167) in the midpoint of the lake at Lat. 44°25'00" N
and Long. 74°16»24" W.
upper St. Regis Lake (175) at the entrance to the northwest arm at
Lat. 44°24'09" N and Long. 74°16I19" W (1972 and 1973) and deeper into the
arm in the deepest trench at Lat. 44°24'19" N and Long. 74°17'0l11 W (1974).
1972
Epilimnion and hypolimnion samples were collected from Lower St. Regis
and Upper St. Regis lakes at depths determined by temperature profile
readings. Composite samples were generally collected at 1 and 3 m (epilimnion)
and at two depths in the 7-10-m range (hypolimnion).
Light attenuation readings, Secchi disc readings, and profiles of
temperature and dissolved oxygen were recorded on the lakes. The temperature,
pH, conductivity, and total alkalinity of each sample were determined in the
field. Analyses determined in the laboratory included metals (sodium,
potassium, magnesium, total calcium, total iron, total manganese); chloride;
sulfate; reactive silica; nitrogen fractions (nitrate nitrogen, nitrite
nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, organic particulate nitrogen); phosphorus fractions
(reactive phosphorus, total soluble phosphorus, total particulate phosphorus);
organic soluble carbon; and organic particulate carbon. Surveys to assess
these parameters were conducted monthly from May to November (biweekly on
Lower St. Regis Lake in June and July). Surveys on Lower St. Regis Lake
began in May, on the upper lake in June.
Plankton samples were collected weekly (May to November) from Lower
St. Regis Lake and monthly (June to November) from Upper St. Regis Lake.
30
-------
Species were analyzed from both qualitative and quantitative standpoints.
Sediment traps (Fuhs, 1973) suspended approximately 2 m off the bottom
were exposed for 2-week periods (June to November) in Lower St. Regis Lake.
Separate aliquants from the top and bottom compartments were analyzed for
plankton (qualitative and quantitative microscopic analysis) and for the same
chemical parameters as the lake water. The results of plankton counts in
the traps will be utilized for an analysis of phytoplankton growth and popu-
lation dynamics in a future publication.
Two tributaries, Easy Street and Spitfire creeks, were sampled biweekly
(September to December) and were analyzed for the following physical and
chemical parameters: temperature, pH, conductivity, total alkalinity, metals
(sodium, potassium, magnesium, total calcium, total iron), chloride, sulfate,
reactive silica, and organic particulate carbon. A gage height reading was
made during each survey to determine the discharge.
1973
The sampling points and composite sampling techniques were identical to
those of 1972. In addition, a composite sample (1 and 3 m) was collected
regularly from Spitfire Lake. The epilimnion and hypolimnion depths were
essentially the same as those mentioned for the 1972 composite samples.
The physical and chemical parameters measured were identical to those
determined on the lake water in 1972. In addition, pH profile, organic
soluble nitrogen, total carbon dioxide, chlorophyll a, and humic matter
were determined. Surveys were conducted monthly from January to April and
biweekly from May to November. Surveys on Lower St. Regis Lake began in
January, on the two upper lakes in April.
Plankton samples were collected monthly from January to April and
biweekly from.May to November from Lower St. Regis Lake. The two upper
lakes were sampled biweekly from April to November. Species analysis was
performed in the same manner as in 1972.
Sediment traps were collected biweekly (May to November) from Lower
St. Regis Lake. Analyses for plankton and chemical parameters were performed
as in 1972. Organic soluble nitrogen, chlorophyll a, and humic matter were
determined as well.
Easy Street and Spitfire creeks were sampled biweekly (January to
December). The same physical and chemical parameters were analyzed as in
1972. In addition, total manganese; nitrogen fractions (nitrate nitrogen,
nitrite nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, total organic nitrogen); phosphorus fractions
(reactive phosphorus, total soluble phosphorus, total particulate phosphorus);
and organic soluble carbon were determined.
1974
The sampling points and composite sampling techniques were identical to
those of 1973. The epilimnion and hypolimnion depths were essentially the
31
-------
same as those sampled in 1973, with the exception of Upper St. Regis Lake, on
which sonar equipment was employed at the new station to locate the lake bottom.
The composite sample for the hypolimnion was taken at two locations in the 14-
22-m range. (On April 25 the lower lake was sampled 500 m off the college
dock, as the main station was inaccessible due to ice thaw. Chemical analysis-
epilimnion composite from 1 + 2 m; hypolimnion, 3 + 4 m. Plankton analysis-
epilimnion biomass represents the average of 1, 2, and 3 m.)
The physical and chemical parameters measured were identical to those
determined in 1973. Surveys were conducted at least monthly from February to
November (biweekly for Lower St. Regis Lake from May-July and September-
October; biweekly for the upper lakes in June and September). Surveys on
Lower St. Regis Lake began in February, the two upper lakes in May.
Plankton samples were collected at least biweekly from February to November
(weekly or more frequently from July-October) from Lower St. Regis Lake. The
two upper lakes were sampled biweekly (May.to November). Species analysis
was performed in the same manner as in 1973.
Sediment traps were collected biweekly from May to October (except only once
in August) from Lower St. Regis Lake. Analyses for plankton and chemical parame-
ters were performed as in 1973 with the exception of chloride and sulfate analyses
Easy Street and Spitfire creeks and a third tributary to Lower St. Regis
Lake, Black Pond outlet, were sampled biweekly (average frequency, January to
December). The physical and chemical parameters were as in 1973. In addition,
humic matter was determined.
1975
A less intensive sampling program was carried out in 1975. Only Lower St.
Regis Lake was sampled. Single depth samples rather than composites were
collected at 3-6 m (epilimnion) and 8-11 m (hypolimnion).
Temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles were determined at the main lake
station during each monthly (and occasionally biweekly) survey (May to October).
Light attenuation and Secchi disc readings were taken periodically during the
survey span. The physical and chemical parameters measured were temperature,
pH, conductivity, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, and chlorophylls
a, b, and c.
Plankton samples were collected monthly (and occasionally biweekly; May to
October). Species were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. During the
monthly surveys, preserved slides of algal concentrate from the epilimnion
station were prepared in the field for cytochemical examination in the labora-
tory (study in progress; results to be reported elsewhere).
Easy Street and Spitfire creeks and Black Pond outlet were sampled two or
three times during February and March. The physical and chemical parameters
analyzed were the same as in 1974 except that the following were not determined:
metals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, total calcium, total manganese), chloride,
sulfate, organic soluble carbon, organic particulate carbon, and in Easy Street
Creek huraic matter.
32
-------
PROCEDURES FOR PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DETERMINATIONS
Field
Secchi disc readings were made at the lake stations by means of a 30-cm-
diameter white Plexiglas disc (Kahlsico Instrument Corp.)- Temperature
profiles were taken with a calibrated Yellow Springs Instruments (YSI) Model
8400 thermistor. Field pH profiles were taken with a Radiometer Model 4
precision pH meter. Samples for dissolved oxygen determination were put in
glass-stoppered bottles to which were added manganese solution, strong alkali,
and concentrated acid according to the specifications of the Winkler method
(azide modification) described in Standard Methods (American Public Health
Assoc., 1971). Solar radiation was measured with a Yellow Springs Instruments
direct reading pyranometer equipped with a silicon solar cell which had been
factory-calibrated against an Eppley 180° pyranometer.
Vertical light extinction was determined from simultaneous measurements
of surface and subsurface irradiation with a submarine photometer (Kahlsico
Instrument Corp.). The subsurface measuring cell was used without filters
or with one of the following Schott filters: BG 12 (435 nanometers [nm], blue),
VG 9 (525 nm, green), or RG 2 (600 nm, red), following procedures recommended
by Sauberer (1962). The readings were converted to vertical extinction
coefficients (per meter, in base-10 logarithms) using Sauberer's Table 10
with estimated values of cloud cover and a calculated value for the zenith
distance of the sun at the time of measurement. The latter value was obtained
from declination, true local time, and the geographic coordinates - i.e. the
elements of the "nautical triangle" - by spherical trigonometry. Vertical
extinction coefficients were further corrected to successive depth values for
which measured light intensities decreased by 50% (see Figures 10 and 11).
Samples collected during 1972-1974 were processed on shore within 2 hours
of sampling, as follows:
The temperature, pH, and conductivity of the composite sample were
determined using a laboratory-grade thermometer, a Radiometer Model 4
precision pH-meter, and a Radiometer Model CDM 2 conductivity meter. Total
alkalinity was titrated with mineral acid to an end point using methyl
purple indicator.
Titration of the samples for dissolved oxygen determination followed
the Winkler method, azide modification (American Public Health Assoc., 1971).
For determination of soluble and particulate nitrogen, phosphorus, and
carbon, 300 ml of sample (or less, depending on filterability) were filtered
in a Millipore filtering apparatus at a vacuum not exceeding 100 millimeters (mm)
of mercury. The 0.8-micron (p.)-pore-width, 47-mm-diameter membrane filters
had been boiled and rinsed in distilled water to remove soluble organic
components and were stored in distilled water in a closed plastic container.
Before the sample was added, the filter was covered with Celite by pouring
through it without vacuum 4 ml of a Celite suspension (10 g liter"* distilled
water) and discarding the filtrate. After the sample was filtered, the
filtrate was distributed into 120-ml polyethylene bottles for soluble nitrogen
33
-------
and phosphorus determinations. For determination of soluble carbon, 4-5 ml
of filtrate were placed in a screw-cap glass tube. The bottles used for
phosphorus analysis had been washed with a 1:1 solution of concentrated
nitric acid and distilled water and then rinsed liberally with distilled
water. For particulate nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon determinations the
residue was flushed from the filter using a syringe equipped with a narrow-
gage needle and collected in a graduated tube, then made up to 10 ml and
divided into screw-cap tubes. All samples were immediately placed on Dry
Ice and transferred in a frozen state to the main laboratory in Albany.
For determination of total carbon dioxide, 10 ml of well-mixed sample
were transferred into an absorption jar. An open plastic vial containing
1 ml of a 1 normal solution of sodium hydroxide (1 N NaOH) was placed in a
plastic beaker inserted into the jar. A pH 2 buffer tablet was dropped
into the sample, and the entire jar was tightly capped and taped. A blank
was run by placing 1 ml of IN NaOH in a plastic vial, capping the vial,
and placing it in an empty absorption jar, which was then capped and taped.
Uhfiltered samples for metals analysis were acidified and frozen at
the shore site. Uhfiltered samples for reactive^silica and humic matter
determinations were also frozen at the shore site for transport to the
Albany laboratory. Observations by Kbbayashi (1967) that freezing can cause
loss of silica from solution came to our attention later and our results may
therefore be low. Unfiltered samples for chloride and sulfate analyses were
kept at ambient temperature.
For chlorophyll determinations, 250 ml (or less, depending on filter-
ability) of sample were filtered through a 0.8-n-pore membrane filter which
had been covered with magnesium carbonate (MgCX^) by prefiltering it with
4 ml of a MgC03 suspension (10 g liter'1 distilled water). After filtration
of the water sample at a vacuum not exceeding 100 mm of mercury, the filter
was removed, placed in a tightly capped centrifuge tube in a light-tight
box, and kept on Dry Ice until arrival at the Albany laboratory, where the
box was transferred to a freezer. Prior to analysis, 10 ml of freshly
diluted 90# acetone was added to each tube, which, tightly capped and replaced
in the light-tight box, was kept in a refrigerator until chlorophyll extrac-
tion was complete. Analysis was performed within 24-48 hours after the
acetone was added.
During the 1975 surveys, determinations of temperature and pH at the
laboratory, conductivity, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, and chlorophyll
were performed at the Environmental Health Center Field Laboratory at Ray
Brook.
Laboratory
Unless otherwise indicated, all laboratory determinations were performed
at the Environmental Health Center facilities in Albany.
Change in specific conductance with change in temperature of Lower
St. Regis water was measured empirically within the laboratory. The slope
of the regression of conductivity on temperature showed an increase of
34
-------
1.534 micro-Siemens per centimeter (|j.S cm~l) per degree Celsius (°C) within
the range of 40 to 100 \iS cm"1. Correction of conductivity results to 25°C
was then calculated as: Conductivity at 25°C = Conductivity at t + 1.534
(25-t), where t equals the actual temperature.
The following metals were determined by atomic absorption spectro-
photometry (Varian-Techtron Model AA5 spectrophotometer) using an air-
acetylene flame (Perkin-Elmer 1968, Parker 1972): sodium, 589.0 nm,
potassium, 766.5 nm; magnesium, 285.2 nm; manganese, 279.4 nm; and iron,
248.3 nm. Calcium, 422.7 nm, was determined by the same system using a
nitrous oxide-acetylene flame.
Total iron was determined by adding calcium ion (Ca2+) and 1.0 ml of con-
centrated hydrochloric acid (HC1) per 50 ml of sample. The sample was then
hea'ted for approximately 1 hour on a steam bath before analysis by atomic
absorption. Samples for calcium analysis were acidified with HC1 to pH 4.5
or lower several hours before analysis.
Chlorides were determined in an AutoAnalyzer (Technicon). The method
involved complexation of mercury by chloride, resulting in the release of
thiocyanate, which reacts with ferric ion to form ferric thiocyanate (U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1971; American Public Health Assoc., 1971).
Sulfates were determined in the AutoAnalyzer. The automated colori-
metric methyl-thymol blue method by Lazrus et al. (1966) was used with slight
modifications to determine sulfates (ranges 0-500 or 0-1500 milliequivalents
per liter [meq liter"1]).
Nitrogen fractions were determined as follows: Nitrate plus nitrite
nitrogen was measured by AutoAnalyzer technique using a 50-mm flow cell.
The method involved reduction to nitrite, followed by sulfanilic acid
diazotization and formation of azo-dye (Strickland and Parsons, 1968).
Nitrate nitrogen was determined as part of this procedure. Ammonia nitrogen
was also determined by AutoAnalyzer technique. The method involved formation
of indophenol blue from ammonia, phenol, and hypochlorite, with sodium
nitroprusside as a catalyst (Solorzano, 1969). Soluble organic nitrogen was
obtained by filtering samples through 0.8-|i-pore membrane filters and
subjecting the filtrate to micro-Kjeldahl nitrogen determination according to
Standard Methods (American Public Health Assoc., 1971). Particulate organic
nitrogen was measured by micro-Kjeldahl digestion and direct colorimetric
determination of ammonia by the indophenol blue reaction in the highly
standardized procedure of Bohley (1967), scaled up slightly for use with the
Celite-containing suspensions of seston.
Phosphorus fractions of samples collected in 1970 and 1971 were deter-
mined according to the following methods: Reactive phosphorus (essentially
orthophosphate) was determined according to Murphy and Riley (1962). The
method involved formation of phosphomolybdate complex and was carried out
on the AutoAnalyzer. For total soluble phosphorus, filtrates were heated
with sulfuric acid and potassium persulfate for 30 minutes, brought back to
volume (Gales et al., 1966), and assayed for reactive phosphorus. For total
particulate phosphorus, samples were subjected to alkaline persulfate digestion
35
-------
(Fuhs, 1971), followed by acid digestion (Gales et al., 1966), and assayed
for reactive phosphorus. All St. Regis samples collected since 1972 were
analyzed according to Canelli and Mitchell's (1975) procedures based on
the above methods.
Reactive silica was determined on a Bausch and Lomb Spectronic 400
spectrophotometer utilizing the heteropoly blue method C (without sodium
bicarbonate digestion) as described in Standard Methods (American Public
Health Assoc., 1971).
Soluble organic carbon was determined by combustion in a tube furnace
and infrared analysis of carbon dioxide according to the modification by Fuhs
(1969). Particulate organic carbon was measured by oxidation of a portion
of the HCl-treated, Celite-containing filter deposit in an induction furnace,
using the same CC>2 indication system (Fuhs et al., 1972). On samples collected
after June 1974 an Oceanographic International Corp. carbon analyzer was
used with persulfate oxidation of filtrates and Celite slurry respectively.
Total C02 was determined by a microdiffusion method with NaOH as the
absorbent, injection of a portion of the NaOH into acid, and measurement
of C02 released by infrared analysis.
Chlorophyll a samples collected in 1973 and 1974 were determined by
90#> acetone extraction and spectrophotometry (Bausch and Lomb Spectronic 100
spectrophotometer). Absorbence was determined in a scanning spectrophotometer,
and readings at 750, 663, 645, and 630 nm were introduced into Strickland
and Parsons' (1968) formula. The samples collected in 1975 were determined
at the Environmental Health Center Ray Brook Field Laboratory by the same
method on a Bausch and Lomb Spectronic 70 nonscanning spectrophotometer.
Calculations of chlorophylls b and c were made according to the SCOR/UNESCO
formulas given by Strickland and Parsons (1968, p.189).
Hume matter was determined by extraction from an acid solution into
n-butanol, reextraction into dilute NaOH, and photometry of the resulting
solution according to the method of Chalupa (1963).
Total dissolved solids was determined by filtering the sample through
a 0.8-ji-pore width membrane filter within 3 hours after collection and
obtaining the gravimetric weight of the filtrate, according to the method
described for filtrable residue in water in Standard Methods (American Public
Health Assoc., 1971). This test was run in 1975 by the Environmental Health
Center Field Laboratory at Ray Brook.
Analytical methods for lake and tributary samples were identical, with
the following exception. On tributary water organic nitrogen as a whole,
rather than its soluble and particulate units, was determined. For samples
collected before April 26, 1973, organic nitrogen represents total Kjeldahl
nitrogen (TKN) less any ammonia-nitrogen present in the filtered sample.
Since this date TKN was performed on a grab (unfiltered) sample.
36
-------
MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF PLANKTON
A microscopic examination was performed on each plankton sample to
identify and quantify the major phytoplankton species.
The Utermohl inverted microscope technique employed is based on
information from Utermohl (1936, 1958), Lund and Tailing (1957), and Lund
et al. (1958). A 100-ml portion of sample was preserved in the field with
1.0 ml of Lugol's solution (10 g iodine, 20 g potassium iodide, 27 g sodium
acetate, and 200 ml distilled water). A raw sample was also collected for
examination of plankton in a live state during a 1-year period which began
in October 1973.
Centrifugation and/or sedimentation was used to concentrate the plankton.
Up to 10 ml of sample can be concentrated directly in the plankton chamber;
Lugol's solution helps to weight the algae and insure their sedimentation.
Usually 10 ml were sufficient, but for various samples 5 to 40 ml were used.
The particle concentration was the major determinant of the sample volume
used. If a greater concentration was necessary, up to 40 ml were centrifuged
at 1,500 revolutions per minute (rpm) for 20 minutes, after which the super-
natant was drawn off, leaving 10 ml of concentrate. The tube of concentrated
plankton was placed briefly on a Vortex-Genie to obtain a well-mixed solution
and then transferred to a 10-ml plankton settling chamber. The chamber was
inverted one to three times to allow even distribution of settling particles.
Sedimentation time was a minimum of 7.5 hours for a 10-ml volume of sample
(3 hours per cm-height of chamber: see Vollenweider, 1969) before micro-
scopic analysis was begun.
The most numerous and largest plankton organisms were identified to
genus or species using a Wild M 40 inverted microscope. Strip or field
counts were made with magnification from 90 to 750X. A minimum count of 30
cells or colonies of a species was the goal. Scarce organisms were recorded
qualitatively. The principal reference used for plankton identification
was Prescott (1962).
the mean area and volume were calculated by using a geometric formula
which corresponded to the shape of the cell or colony. Five basic shapes
were used singly or in combination: sphere, prolate spheroid, cylinder,
cone, and regular prism (particularly rectangular prism). Specific dimen-
sions were measured on 5 to 10 cells or colonies of each species by use of
an ocular micrometer rule. A Wang 720 C programmable calculator was employed
to process the raw data and to calculate cell or colony number per ml, areal
standard units per ml, and volume as cubic millimeters per liter (mm3 liter~l),
37
-------
SECTION 8
RESULTS
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
Temperature
Lower St. Regis Lake is ice-covered from December to April. Thermocline
formation occurs during May at lake temperatures of 4 to 8°C. In 1973 the main
thermocline moved to 4-5 m depth in July and to 5-6 m in August. Surface
temperatures in summer are typically between 20 and 25°C, with the possible
formation of secondary thermoclines. Thermocline erosion over the period of
sudden onset of the blue-green algal bloom is not particularly noticeable and
may amount to 1 m per month. In mid-October cooling and wind lead to fall
overturn with lake temperatures between 5 and 10°C. Temperature data for
Lower St. Regis and Upper St. Regis lakes are summarized in Figures 6 and 7.
Dissolved Oxygen
In 1972 dissolved oxygen was exhausted to 9-m depth in July and to 8-m
depth in September. In 1973 the depletion reached the thermocline by mid-
August (5-7 m). In 1974 the thermocline was deeper, and the hypo limn ion was
devoid of oxygen to 9-m depth by the end of July (Fig. 8). Some depletion
of oxygen occurs in the near-bottom waters under ice cover in winter, as
indicated by measurements in February 1973. Data for Upper St. Regis Lake
are presented for comparison (Fig. 9).
pH Values
pH values in the epilimnion are strongly affected by time of day. During
bloom periods, daytime values of 8.0 to 9.5 were observed, with hypolimnion
values of 5.8 to 7.5. Upper St. Regis Lake showed slightly lower values,
(6.0 to 8.5, occasionally up to 9.2), in accordance with both lower produc-
tivity and lower alkalinity.
Light Attenuation
Light attenuation at 660 nm in the water columns of Lower St. Regis
Lake (Fig. 10) and Upper St. Regis Lake (Fig. 11) reflects bloom development
in considerable detail. Since most of the water entering the lower lake
passes through the upper lakes or through swamps, turbidity from suspended
mineral matter is rarely noticeable in the epilimnion. Some mineral suspended
matter was, however, observed in the samples from the hypolimnion.
38
-------
JFMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ J ASOND
1972 1973
J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND
1974 1975
Fig. 6. Temperature profile for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1975.
39
-------
505
1520 201510
1015 20 20 1510
I I I
JFMAMJJASONDJF MAMJJASONDJFMAMJJ A S 0 N D
1972 1973 1974
Fig. 7. Temperature profile for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974.
-------
JFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASOND
1972 1973
Q. 0
LU
Q
10
JFMAMJJ ASONDJFMAMJ J ASOND
1974 1975
Fig. 8. Dissolved oxygen data (mg • liter" ) for Lower
St. Regis Lake, 1972-1975.
41
-------
10
to
15
20
o o
I I I I ill
LJ LI I IP
1
MAMJ JA50NDJFMAMJ JASONDJFMAMJ JA50ND
1972 1973 1974
10
15
20
Fig. 9. Dissolved oxygen data (mg • liter"1) for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974.
-------
E 10
— 1/16
JFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASOND
1972 1973
LU
O
10 JFMAM J JASONDJFMAMJ JASOND
1974 1975
Fig. 10. Light attenuation (660 nm) for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1975.
43
-------
_ 1/256^
„ V '
v
£ 10
CL
LU
15
j-i
1/16
1/100
J I I I U I LU !_
1/16
10
15
MAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND
1972 1973 1974
Fig. 11. Light attenuation (660 nm) for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974.
-------
The general increase in transparency in the 660-nra (red) region during
1973-75, particularly during August and September (Fig. 10), indicates reduced
bloom conditions. Transparency increased to the extent permitted by the
naturally brown color of the water.
LAKE CHEMISTRY
Major Ipns^
The St. Regis Lake system contains low-alkalinity water with approximately
0.4 meq liter~l total ionic content and with the relative ionic composition
shown in Table 8.
Table 8. RELATIVE IONIC COMPOSITION (%) AND CONDUCTIVITY3
Lower St.
Ion Black. Pond Spitfire Lake Regis Lake
Cations
Sodium (Na+) 17 11 15
Potassium (K+) 4 4 3
Magnesium (Mg2+) 23 23 28
Calcium (Ca2+) 55 60 51
Iron (Fe2+) 1 23
Anions
Chloride (Cl~) 13 10 11
Sulfate (S042-) 40 29 24
Bicarbonate (HCOg) 47 61 65
Conductivity (nS cnrl) 51 44 55
a Based on logarithmic mean values.
In the St. Regis lakes, as in other Adirondack lakes with significant popula-
tions, bicarbonate exceeds sulfate. In the upper lakes septic tank leachate
may increase alkalinity slightly, and in the lower lake the apparent (but not
statistically significant) increase in ionic content and alkalinity may be an
effect of sewage additions. This contribution is not affected by sewage
treatment and will continue; it is generally beneficial, as it tends to
neutralize the natural acidity.
Iron
The total iron concentrations in the epilimnion and hypolimnion of Lower
and Upper St. Regis lakes are given in Figs. 12 and 13. Both lakes show
45
-------
EPILIMNIOhl 1
HYPOLIMNJON
F M A M J J A
1972
S O N D J F
M A M J J A
1973
S O N D J
F M A M J J A
1974
O N D
Fig. 12. Total iron values for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974.
-------
40
T 30
L.
(D
(D
i
OJ
10
II II II 1
• EPILIMNION
o HYPOLIMNION
_ 1972-73: 6 -10m
1974: 14 -22m
I
I
I
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
I
1
1 R ft
i 'i\
\ i i \/ •
• D jj /
i i i i »t*r i
i M MI ii
|?
R • o / \ A
TRi^^"
1 | | Hi |K 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 I I A I I
'\ /!
!\
• ii
i ° i
i t
1
1
1 1
1 I
J
1 1
1
1 1
! \ ~
' A
i
i
* 1
a*! I
\r^*^
i i i i i* i i i i i
FMAMJ JASONDJFMAMJJ ASONDJ FMAMJ J ASOND
1972 1973 1974
Fig. 13. Total iron values for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974.
-------
epilimnic iron depletion during the growth season, but this is not entirely
due to algal uptake, as increasing pH values under the effect of photosynthesis
result in iron precipitation. Iron trapping in years past by the polluted
lower lake had already been suggested in our preliminary investigations. On
a sunny afternoon in August 1971, Spitfire Lake had pH 5.8 and Lower St. Regis
Lake pH 9.5, with a drop in C02 partial pressure from 500 parts per million
(ppm) to 125 ppm. This set of conditions must lead to removal of iron from
the epilimnion.
During the summers of 1972 to 1974, the lower lake received additional
iron from sewage phosphate precipitation. Epilimnic iron concentrations re-
mained in the range of 5-10 \ig liter"!, while the hypolimnic iron content
climbed to values of several hundred jig-atoms per liter. Also in the upper
lake the iron concentrations at the deepest points during summer are substantial.
(The hypolimnion of the upper lake was sampled at 6-10 m in 1972 and 1973. In
1974 the sampling at 14-22 m depth revealed much higher concentrations of
iron.)
Silicon
Reactive silica concentration (Fig. 14) decreases markedly in the epilim-
nion (and increases in the hypolimnion) by early summer due to the spring bloom
of diatoms and chrysophycean flagellates. During the late summer and fall
bloom of blue-green algae, a return of silica to the epilimnion appears to
take place.
Nitrogen
The annual cycle of inorganic nitrogen in Lower St. Regis Lake (Fig. 15)
is typical of lake waters. Nitrate, high in winter, is rapidly depleted
during spring and remains low until fall. An increase after the fall over-
turn is apparently the result both of nitrification and of fall runoff from
the watershed. Ammonia concentrations in the epilimnion are low during most
of the year. Substantial ammonia accumulation occurs in the hypolimnion
during summer. During fall overturn, both epilimnion and hypolimnion show
elevated ammonia concentrations, which then decrease with the formation of
nitrate. Nitrogen fixation during the summer bloom of Anabaena was suspected
to occur during periods of low nitrogen concentrations in the epilimnion.
BIOMASS
Biomass changes were monitored by measurements of particulate organic
matter in the form of nitrogen and phosphorus, as chlorophyll (Figs. 16-18),
by measurements of water transparency (Fig. 19), and as microscopic counts
and volume measurements (see Figs. 20-23). These approaches generally rein-
force one another, but each has its shortcomings. The particulate organics
data are affected by detritus, and the microscopic measurements (plankton
volumes) are necessarily of limited accuracy, as they are based on the addition
of many smaller numbers, each possibly somewhat in error.
Chlorophyll concentrations in the epilimnion of Lower St. Regis Lake show
evidence of the spring and summer algal blooms. The appearance of the Anabaena
bloom during July and August is particularly clear. Observations of the lake
48
-------
200
t 150
CO
+j
OJ
I
O)
100
50
EPILIMNION
HYPOLIMNION
JFMAMJ JASONDJFMAMJJ ASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND
1972
1973
1974
Fig. 14. Reactive silica values for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974.
-------
oNO3 EPILIMNION
•NH4 EPILIMNION
°NH4 HYPOLIMNKDN
M A M J J A
1972
5 O N D J
F M A M J J A
1973
SONDJFMAMJJA
1974
S O N D
Fig. 15. Inorganic nitrogen values for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972-1974.
-------
OJ
35
30
25
20
15
u
S? 10
EPILIMNION
• WHOLE NUMBER
VALUES
0 VALUES LESS
THAN 1
INN..!ii i i i
i i i i ru
i
J FMAMJJ ASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJ ASOND
1973 1974 1975
Fig. 16. Chlorophyll a data fox Lower St. Regis Lake, 1973-1975.
-------
35
3O
1M
1
C- 25
. «
•T~*
3 20
0)
^ 15
u
g|_ 10
5
II M I
EPILIMNION
~~ • WHOLE NUMBER
VALUES
° VALUES LESS
THAN 1
- 1 .
- A . /U
ill ii ill
I I
—
—
—
—
^ r-
\ \ i i rW i
J FMAMJJ ASONDJ FMAMJJ ASOND
1973 1974
Fig. 17. Chlorophyll a data for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1973-1974.
52
-------
I
L.
-------
u»
m
0
1
2
3
4
5
LOWER ST.
REGIS LAKE
r
FMAMJJ ASON
1972
FMAMJJASON
1973
FMAMJJASON
1974
FMAMJJ ASON
1975
m
0
1
2
3
4
5
I I M I I I TTT
UPPER ST.
I I I M I I I I I I
REGIS LAKE
FMAMJ JASON
1972
FMAMJJASON
1973
FMAMJ J ASON
1974
Fig. 191. Secchi disc transparencies for Lower St. Regis and Upper St. Regis
Lakes, 1972-1975.
-------
surface indicated delays of about two weeks per year in the appearance of the
Anabaena bloom over the period 1972-74. The epilimnion composite samples for
microscopic analysis confirm this (see plankton results, Figs. 20-23).
The underwater light measurements reveal the movement of an absorption
maximum, particularly in the red region, toward the lake surface. In 1973 a
maximum had reached the 1-2 m layer on July 19 and the surface by August 1.
In 1974 it was at 1-2 m depth until July 30 but reached the surface by Septem-
ber 4. (Unfortunately, no measurements were taken on the August 8 survey date.)
The measurements also reveal a surface maximum on July 12, 1972, denser than
the 1973 and 1974 August maxima.
In 1975, one year after complete and year-round elimination of the phos-
phorus point source, a spring bloom of diatoms and flagellates was absent for
the first time, as expressed in chlorophyll, transparency, and microscopic
measurements, and the summer bloom was drastically reduced in both extent and
duration. The latter observation suggests that the summer blooms are nourished
to some extent by nutrients deposited during and remobilized after the spring
bloom.
SEDIMENT ANALYSIS
General Characteristics
The sediments in most parts of Lower St. Regis Lake were mucky, deep
brown, and softer than the sediments in Spitfire Lake. Near the outfall of
Paul Smith's College sewage treatment plant into the mouth of Easy Street Creek,
banks of black mud had accumulated over the years, but within a short distance
from the mouth the lake sediments were quite firm "and sandy.
The odor of hydrogen sulfide was never detectable, but it is likely that
hydrated ferrous sulfides were present. The iron content of the sediments was
high, and a slight sulfate depletion of the hypolimnion in summer was indicated.
On August 25, 1967, a sediment sample at 7-m (23-ft) depth was taken with
an Ekman dredge by Dr. Carl Schofield of the Department of Natural Resources,
Cornell University. Some of his results are given in Table 9 with permission,
and his results from a sample from the same depth in Upper St. Regis Lake are
shown as a comparison. Several extractable fractions of phosphorus and of
cations were also determined.
Table 9. SEDIMENT ANALYSIS RESULTS
Constituent Lower Lake Upper Lake
Water content (%} 92.1 91.2
Organic content (% of dry weight) 40.9 41.4
Total phosphorus (% of dry weight) 0.1405 0.1334
Organic phosphorus (% of dry weight) 0.794 0.750
55
-------
The sediment observations in Tables 10 and 11 are from our August 5, 1971,
survey (New York State Dept. of Health, 1972) using an Ekman dredge. The
sediments showed considerable variation in organics content in close relation
to their sandy or mucky appearance. The sediment from the littoral near the
college library (B3) was essentially an iron phosphate-hydroxide. The deep
sediments (B4-B6) were fluffy, mucky, and high in organic content. The highest
organic content was found near an abandoned sawmill, where a large dump for
tree bark still existed. The sample from Spitfire Lake outlet was substantially
lower in phosphate than the samples from the lower lake.
The Ca to P atomic ratios showed that there was more phosphorus in the
sediments than the calcium could absorb. The Fe to P ratios indicated that
there was more iron in the sediments than there was phosphorus with which to
combine.
Sediment Core Analysis
A sediment core was taken at station 174 in Lower St. Regis Lake on
March 8, 1974, and was sealed at the lake for immediate transport to the labora-
tory. There the flocculent sediment was stored in a cold room (4°C) for 1 week
to allow compaction to take place. The core was then fractionated, and each
segment was stored in a polyethylene bag and frozen until analysis. At the
time of analysis the thawed samples were air-dried, homogenized, and passed
through a 20-mesh sieve. The chemical determinations were performed by the
Analytical Chemistry Laboratories of the Environmental Health Center. Metals
were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry after extraction with nitric
acid and distilled water (1:1).
The results (Table 12) gave no indications of bonds or laminations in the
core which could be used to establish a chronology of cultural activity within
the basin. Organic carbon content of the sediment decreased slightly with
increasing distance from the sediment water interface. The relatively small
variations in the abundance of organic carbon in the sediment indicate that
the factors which regulate its abundance have remained in balance during the
period encompassed by the sediment core. Insufficient data were available to
give a clear description of the variation of organic nitrogen (Kjeldahl) with
sediment depth.
The phosphorus content was highest adjacent to the mud-water interface
and decreased with increasing sediment depth. In contrast, the content of
metals in the sediment remained relatively constant throughout the core. This
indicates that the phosphorus-adsorptive capacity of the sediment was constant
throughout. The higher phosphorus content in the surficial sediment reflects
an increase in the supply of phosphorus to Lower St. Regis Lake in the recent
past and/or an increase in the efficiency of phosphorus sedimentation.
Methane formation in the upper strata of the sediment may have contributed
to its mixing (see p. 61).
56
-------
Table 10. DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLING SITES AND CONSISTENCY OF
BOTTOM SEDIMENTS
Sampling site
Sediment
consistency
Lower St. Regis Lake
BI 1-m depth near mouth of Easy Street
Creekj which receives effluent from
Paul Smith's College sewage treatment
plant
B2 2-m depth, further into lake body in
line with Easy Street Creek
63 2-m depth in front of college
library
B4 5-m depth near mouth of tributary
from Barnum Pond, near old sawmill
and tree bark dump
65 4-m depth at beginning of lake
outlet arm
B£ 9-m depth midway between mouth
of Easy Street Creek and channel
from Spitfire Lake
Spitfire Lake
By 4-m depth at northeast end of
lake prior to beginning of the
channel
Sandy
Sandy
Rather mucky
Mucky (black)
Mucky
Mucky
Sandy
57
-------
Table 11. BOTTOM SEDIMENT SAMPLES
B,
Chemical analyses (mg g dry weiqht)3
Atomic ratios
Sampling Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorus Calcium Iron Manganese C C N Ca Fe
site (C) (N) (P) (Ca) (Fe) (Mn) N P P P P
8.0
0.5
4.2
1.1
69
1.6 18.7 4.9 0.3 0.20 9.0
B
5.2
0.5
0.30
0.093 3.55 0.43 12.1 44.8 3.7 0.24 6.5
tn
CO
B
B
B
11
450
240
1.0
19.6
24.2
36.7
2.73
2.2
2.1 820 2.2 12.8 0.8 0.1 0.04 12.4
0.35 64.7 0.69 26.8 425.1 15.9 0.10 13.1
0.46 125 0.74 11.6 283.6 24.5 0.16 31.6
290
44.7
5.3
0.8 146'
1.3 8.1 183.0 26.4 0.12 16.7
B?
19
1.0
0.4
0.088 18.5 0.13 22.2 136.7 6.2 0.19 28.5
a milligram per gram.
-------
Table 12. CHEMICAL STRATIGRAPHY (%} OF A SEDIMENT
CORE FROM LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
Mean distance of sediment section from
sediment water interface (cm)
Constituent
2.5
7.5
12.5
17.5
22.5
27.5
32.5
Dry solids
Total carbon
Organic carbon
Nitrogen
3.9
41.5
40.0
-
4.3
38.5
36.5
1.8
4.6
45.0
35.0
0.96
4.6
41.5
38.5
1.7
4.6
38.5
38.5
-
5.8
36.5
36.5
-
8.7
33.5
33.5
-
(Kjeldahl)
Total
phosphorus
0.14
0.14
0.10
0.09
0.07
0.08
0.05
Iron
Manganese
Calcium
Zinc
5.6
0.071
0.35
0.02
6.0
0.063
0.29
0.016
5.8
0.059
0.34
0.016
5.5
0.048
0.38
0.022
4.8
0.042
0.38
0.017
4.9
0.036
0.39
0.005
5.5
0.035
0.38
<0.005
Phosphate Release from Sediments
As part of our 1971 survey (New York State Department of Health, 1972),
an initial experiment was performed in which sediment samples were collected
with an Ekman dredge, transferred to cylindrical vessels and kept at room
temperature for 3 weeks. The results are shown in Table 13.
Table 13. REACTIVE PHOSPHATE RELEASE FROM BOTTOM
SEDIMENT AFTER 21-DAY INCUBATION
(\ig P liter'1)
Sampling Site
Aerobic conditions
Anaerobic conditions
BI
B2
BS
B4
BS
B6
B7
/
28.6
17.0
23.6
41.0
45.6
38.6
14.0
97.6
21.6
10.8
22.0
52.0
457.4
6.4
On November 6, 1974, samples were obtained by coring somewhat shoreward
from the main sampling station located at the deepest point of the lake. This
choice of location was necessary due to the presence of almost 50 cm of "fluffy"
unconsolidated sediments at the main station and the requirement that the
sediments comprise only about half the volume of the core tube. Six subsamples
59
-------
of the incubated core sample were taken on November 14, 1974, and the tubes were
incubated in the dark at room temperature fox 4 more weeks. Three tubes
selected at random were made anaerobic by sparging them with nitrogen gas and
sealing them with No. 11 rubber stoppers. The other three tubes were kept
aerobic. The changes in reactive phosphate and in total soluble phosphate
during the incubation period were measured (Table 14).
All tubes showed an increase in reactive phosphorus (P react.) and total
soluble phosphorus (P total sol.) in the water at the end of the incubation
period (28 days). Tube 3 had more P react, than P total sol., which caused us
to suspect the presence of substances interfering with phosphate analyses.
High variability was also found among the other anaerobic systems. Conse-
quently, though P react, increased by 2.82 micrograms per day (|j,g dayl), the
standard deviation (SD) of ± 2.03 indicates that the results are of questionable
significance. Similar results were obtained for P total sol. (2.68 ± 2.19
jig day~l) in the water column. Increases under aerobic conditions were much
more uniform: 1.61 ± 0.40 and 1.90 ± 0.15 jig day-1 for P react, and P total sol.
respectively. In either case, soluble phosphate is released to the water column
from both aerobic and anaerobic systems in the dark at room temperature.
Table 14.
SOLUBLE PHOSPHATE RELEASE FROM SEDIMENT CORE
AFTER 28-DAY INCUBATION
P liter-1)
Tube
P react.
Treatment
Initial
Final
P react. = reactive phosphorus
P total sol. = total soluble phosphorus
P total sol.
Initial
Final
1
2
3
4
5
6
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Aerobic
Aerobic
Aerobic
6.7
9.3
28.3
4.0
16.7
8.9
27.8
144.0
110.0
60.7
50.3
54.1
15.7
20.6
45.5
15.9
26.6
26.2
35.3
162.0
34.7
73.7
75.7
79.6
Prior to analysis the samples contained a considerable amount of filterable
orangish precipitate, even though they had been filtered before being stored
frozen. This precipitate was found in both aerobic and anaerobic samples.
The highly variable results obtained from the anaerobic tubes suggest a variable
interference with the phosphate determinations. Evidence of interfering sub-
stances comes from sediment determinations using aerobic surface sediments
and deeper sediments in the same core corresponding to the region of maximum
gas retention (about 20 cm below the mud-water interface). To investigate
anaerobic sediments the surfaces of cores with an anaerobic water column and
mud from about 20-cm depth in the anaerobic tubes were analyzed. In these
60
-------
anaerobic samples P react, generally exceeded P total sol. The mean of the
nine P react, values was 685.9 [i.g liter"1 (SD ± 475.84); that for P total sol.
was 598.09 (SD ± 405.81). For aerobic samples P total sol. (37.19 ± 23.22)
exceeded P react. (32.77 ± 35.28). The high variance for P react, was due to
one inversion (P react. > P total sol.) in the set of nine values. This com-
parison indicates that P total sol. determinations may be subject to analytical
error due to oxygenation of the anaerobic samples during processing.
In all tubes a region varying between 52 and 107 mm in thickness and
13 and 20 mm in depth below the mud-water interface contained many bubbles of
gas. These escaped periodically prior to sampling at the end of the experiment.
Gas formation and release is a likely mechanism for the transport of phosphates
and reducing substances into the water column, and methane oxidation is prob-
ably a factor contributing to the hypolimnic oxygen depletion in this lake.
PLANKTON
A summary of the range of total plankton biomass encountered on the three
lakes from 1972-1975 is found on Table 15. "Total" plankton refers to the
predominant species which were quantified.
Lower St. Regis Lake
Anabaena Species Biomass 1972-1975—
Figures 20-23, which illustrate the dynamics of the epilimnic Anabaena
species populations in terms of total plankton biomass, show clearly the decline
over the years in the productivity of these blue-green algae. Anabaena spp.
comprised the bulk of the epilimnic biomass. Anabaena scheremetievi Elenkin
was the predominant species; other species included A. circinalis var. macro-
spora (Wittr.) DeToni, A. wisconsinense Prescott, A. affinis Lemmermann,
A. flos-aquae (Lyngb.) De Bre'bisson, and possibly A. levanderi Lemmermann.
In 1972 Anabaena spp. passed the 10 mm3 liter'1 mark in mid-July (7/18)
and remained above this level essentially through early October (10/4), peaking
at 22 mm3 liter"1 in late September (9/26). The Anabaena biomass average during
this period was 15 mm3 liter"1.
In 1973 Anabaena spp. reached the 10 mm3 liter"1 mark 2 weeks later, in
early August (8/2), and remained at this level essentially through early
October (10/4), peaking at 15 mm3 liter"1 in early September (9/4). The
Anabaena. biomass average during this period was 11 mm3 liter"1.
In 1974 Anabaena spp. passed the 10 mm3 liter"1 level in late August (8/26)
with a peak of 15 mm^ liter"1 and again early in September (9/4) at 11 mm3
liter'1. From August 8 through September 13 the Anabaena biomass average was
8.5 mm3 liter"1.
In 1975 Anabaena spp. did not reach the 10 mm3 liter"1 level at all.
The highest volume, 8.9 mm3 liter'1, was recorded on August 21. The Anabaena
biomass average from July 17 through September 17 was 5.6 mm3 liter-1.
As of the earliest sampling date in July during 1972-1975, the Anabaena
61
-------
Table 15. TOTAL PLANKTON BIOMASS RANGE
(mm3 liter"1)
Oi
Lake
Epilimnion
Lower St. Regis
Upper St. Regis
Spitfire
Hypo limn ion
Lower St. Regis
Upper St. Regis
Spitfire
Year
1972
1973
1974
1975
1972
1973
1974
1973
1974
1972
1973
1974
1975
1972
1973
1974
1973
1974
Winter Sprinq
1.3-3.9
<0.10 <0. 10-14
<0.10 <1.0-2.9
<0.10 <1.0
<1.0-10
<1.0
1.0-11.
3.0
<0.10-2.2
<0.10 <0.10-4.7
<0. 10-4.1 <0. 10-1.0
<0.10 1.2
<1.0-3.4
<1.0
Summer
3.0-20.
2.0-17.
1.8-34.
1.5-11.
3.7-32.
1.1-17.
<1.0
<1. 0-3.1
<1.0
<0. 10-1.0
<1.0-23.
<0.10-7.8
<0.10-1.3
2.6-7.4
<1.0-10.
<1.0
Fall
3.3-32.
6.5-26.
1.4-13.
1.2-10.
<1.0-2.2
<1.0-2.2
<1.0-2.9
<1.0-5.4
<1.0-2.8
<0. 10-13.
<1.0-3.7
<0.10-5.6
<1.0-1.6
<1.0-2.7
<1. 0-1.1
<1.0
-------
1000
111 II111II11111111111 M 1111111111
TOTAL PLANKTON
•—• EPILIMNION
-— HYPOLIMNION
ANABAENA SPR
EPILIMNION
| I I I I I | I I I I I |I I I I I | I I I I I | I I I I I | I I I l±
LT - LESS THAN
10.0
ON
GO
I
E
1.0
0.1
LT
I I I III J L LJI LUI I Jl I Lli I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
M
M
J J
1972
N
Fig. 20. Total plankton and Anabaena spp. biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1972,
-------
1000
±1111 11 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 11 I I I I I I I I M I M I I I | I I I I I | I I I I I 11 I I I I (Mill 11 |
= TOTAL PLANKTON
•—• EPILIMNION
-— HYPOLIMNION
ANABAENA SPR
I— 9—e EPILIMNION j[
LT - LESS THAN
1QO
*
E
1.0
0.1
LT
i I I II 11 II I 11 l/f l till I ill il ILL/ h I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 11 M I I I I I I I I 11 I I I I
M
M J
1973
N
Fig. 21. Total plankton and Anabaena spp. biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake, 1973.
-------
100.0
10.0
L.
(D
Ul
I II II I II Ml II II I II M I I
TOTAL PLANKTON
EPILIMNION
—- HYPOLIMNION
ANABAENA SPR
EPILIMNION
LT - LESS THAN
I I | I I I I I I I II I I II I I I I | I I I I I | I I II I II I I I I III I l±
II I I I I I I I I ll I I I I
1974
Fig. 2!_. Total plankton and Anabaena spp. biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake,
-------
1000
1QO
ON
r
£
itlll I III I ll|l I IN | I MM |
= TOTAL PLANKTON
•—• EPILIMNION
—- HYPOLIMNION
ANABAENA SPR
EPILIMNION
LT - LESS THAN
IMIII Illlll Illimillll
"I I I
-------
biomass was 1.0 mm3 liter"1 or greater, but the biomass receded permanently
below that level at an earlier date each year - in 1972, mid-November (11/15);
in 1973 and 1974, mid-October (10/18 and 10/10); and in 1975, late September
(9/30).
Predominant Plankton—
Figures 24-27 illustrate the epilimnic biomass pattern for the predominant
plankton species for 1972-1975. Blue-green algae (Cyanophyta) comprised the
bulk of this biomass during the summer and fall. The major species were
Anabaena scheremetievi and Coelosphaerium naegelianum, but Anabaena circinalis
var. macrospora was also often important in late summer and fall. Species
which contributed significantly to the biomass during short periods of time
were: Spring and/or early summer: Ur qq1enopsis americana, Dinobrvon divergens,
D. bavaricum, Asterionella formosa, Synura spp. (all Chrysophyta), Cryptomonas
erosa (Pyrrhophvta), and Dictvosphaerium pulchellum (Chlorophyta)» Summer:
Fragilaria crotonensis (Chrysophyta) and ciliates (Ciliophora). Late summer
and/or fall: Cryptomonas ovata (Pyrrhophyta), Melosira granulata (Chrysophyta),
rotifer (Rotifera), EudoTina eleqans, and Pandorina morum (Chlorophyta). In
addition, M. qranulata reached rather high concentrations (1.0 to 5.6 mm3
liter"1) in the hypolimnion during occasional periods throughout the whole
sampling season.
Figures 20-23 illustrate the total biomass of predominant plankton (epi-
limnion and hypolimnion curves) for 1972-1975. The major observations for each
year can be summarized as follows:
1972—During May the epilimnic plankton community consisted mainly of
ciliates and of these flagellated forms: Synura' uvella and S. adamsii (small
bloom with a combined biomass of 1.5 mm3 liter-1), Dinobrvon diverqens,
Cryptomonas erosa, C. ovata, an unidentified form (dia'm. 3.5 n), and
Trachelomonas spp. The Cryptomonas species showed low counts throughout most
of the sampling season, occasionally peaking above 2.0 mm3 liter'1.
Anabaena scheremetievi appeared in trace amounts during June and reached
2.6 mm3 liter"1 early in July. By mid-July 16 mm3 liter"1 of Anabaena were
present in the epilimnic waters, and the level remained high through early
October, peaking at 22 mm3 liter"1 late in September. The peak total epilimnic
biomass of 32 mm^ liter"1 occurred at that time.
Coelosphaerium naeqelianum and Gomphosphaeria lacustris, colonial blue-
greens, ranged between 1.1 and 4.5 mm3 liter-1 from late June through late
October and peaked at 7.1 mm3 liter"1 late in September.
From mid-July through early October the dominant blue-greens, A. schere-
metievi and Coelosphaerium/Gomphosphaeria, accounted for 86-100% of the total
epilimnic plankton biomass, which ranged from 11 to 32 mm3 liter"1.
D. diverqens reached a peak of 5.5 mm3 liter"1 late in June and then
essentially vanished from the epilimnion. At this time also a small bloom of
the green alga Pictyosphaerium pulchellum was evident (1.5 mm3 liter"1), and
a similar concentration of ciliates occurred early in July. Late in September
the green algae Eudorina eleqans and Pandorina morum evidenced a small bloom
67
-------
10
Anob. spp.
1.0:
I
0>
Coel. naeg. 6.
Gomph. locust.
M I A I M I J J AS
O N
M I A ! M I J J I A I S I O I N
MONTHS
Fig. 24. Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1972.
LT = less than
68
-------
Cost, no eg. &
Gomph. locust.
1.0
r Crypt, erosa
J A Is o IN
MONTHS
Fig. 25. Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1973.
LT = less than
69
-------
10 -
10
E
Mel. gran.
i.o
O.I
LT!
FMAMJ JASON
MONTHS
O.I
LT
Fig. 26. Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1974,
LT = less than
70
-------
ior Anab. spp
10
10
Mel. gran.
— 1.0
IO
E
10
006. bavar.
1.0
F I M I A I M I J JASON
7. noeg. &
Oomph, locust.
i.o -
O.I
LT
Tab. fan.
F I M I A I M I J JASON
MONTHS
Fig. 27. Species biomass for Lower St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1975,
LT = less than
71
-------
with a combined biomass of 2.1 mm3 liter"!.
By mid-October A. scheremetievi was definitely on the decline. On
October 17 its biomass was 4.4 and a month later it was less than 1.0 mm3
liter-1.
The diatom Melosira granulata produced a small bloom in November (1.4 -
2.2 mm3 liter-1).
The algae having the greatest biomass in the epilimnion were also
the species most in evidence in the hypolimnion. Anabaena manifested a peak
hypolimnic concentration o£ 12 mm3 liter"! in mid-October, coincident with the
peak total hypolimnic biomass of 13 mm3 liter"!. Aside from this peak,
Anabaena and CoelosphaeTium each showed concentrations ranging up to 5.2 mm3
liter"! during October and November. M. granulata periodically showed rather
high concentrations in the hypolimnion (mid-May. 2.2; early September, 5.6;
late October and November, up to 3.7 mm3 liter"!). Minor contributors to the
hypolimnion included the flagellates Trachelomonas spp. and C. ovata. High
concentrations of mineral and amorphous detritus were often present. Actino-
mycetes were also observed.
1973—Samples collected in January and February consisted primarily of
small unidentified flagellates (4 to 8-ji diam.) with a very low total biomass
«0.10 mm3 liter-1).
In April Uroglenopsis americana (whose large spherical colonies of
flagellated cells are visible to the unaided eye) developed a bloom, which
lasted through early June. Its biomass ranged from <1.0 - 10 mm3 liter"! in
the epilimnion. The largest colony viewed was approximately 355 ji in diameter.
Based on a count of one euch colony in a 10-ml concentration of sample, the
species biomass was calculated as 10 mm3 liter-1. Due to the large colony size
and scarcity of colonies, the biomass estimate was not considered reliable.
Dinobryon bavaricum appeared in May, peaking late in the month at 3.2 mm3
literal Synura spp. reached 1.0 mm3 liter"! in early June. These chrysophytes,
plus small concentrations of the diatoms Asterionella formosa and Melosira
granulata, accounted for 60-96% of the total epilimic biomass during late May
and early June. Cryptomonas erosa and C. ovata appeared in low concentrations
(spring and summer), as did Gomphosphaeria lacustris and Fragilaria crotonensis
(summer). By early July Anabaena scheremetievi and Cbelosphaerium naeqelianum
were reaching notable amounts, greater than 1.0 mm3 liter-1. A. scheremetievi,
first observed in late April, reached its peak epilimnic bloom of 12 mm3
liter-1 early in September. By mid-October its biomass had declined to less
than 1.0 mm3 liter"!. Coelosphaerium continued to be an important species
through early November. Its peak blooms (15-16 mm3 liter'1) occurred in late
September and mid-October.
Anabaena circinalis var. macrojspora, first observed early in June, pro-
duced a notable biomass in the epilimnion during September and peaked at
3.3 mm3 liter"! in October.
M. granulata and C. ovata appeared in low concentrations in the fall,
72
-------
Cryptomonas showing a small bloom (1.3 mm3 liter-1) early in November.
From early August through mid-October the dominant blue-greens A. schere-
metievi, A. circinaHs. and Coelosphaerium/Gomphosphaeria represented from
91 to 98^ of the total epilimnic plankton, which ranged from 16 to 26 mm3
liter-1. The peak total epilimnic biomass (26 mm3 liter"!) occurred late in
September.
These dominant species did not contribute significantly to the hypolimnic
biomass, as in 1972. M. granulata reached a peak of 1.7 mm3 liter-1 in the
hypolimnic waters in May. Its small bloom in the upper and lower waters during
the fall of 1972 did not recur the following year. In May and early June the
colonial blue-green Anacystis incerta (4.8 mm3 liter-1) and the colonial
chrysophyte U. americana (3.5 and 18 mm3 liter"1) contributed significantly to
the hypo limnion. C. naegelianum appeared in the lower waters at 1.9 - 3.1 mm3
liter-1 during July and August. A. scheremetievi filaments peaked over 1.0 mm3
liter-1 only once, late in September. During mid-October a rotifer species
with a biomass of 1.7 mm3 liter-1 was observed in the hypolimnic sample. High
concentrations of mineral and filamentous detritus were often present. The
iron bacterium Leptothrix was seen occasionally.
1974—Epilimnic samples collected from February through April contained
low concentrations of the flagellated chrysophytes and dinoflagellates
Synura sp., Dinobryon divergens, Cryptomonas erosa, C. ovata, and Peridinium sp.,
plus unidentified flagellated and nonflagellated forms (3-7-p. diam.).
Combinations of four diatoms were found in low concentrations in the
epilimnion between May and mid-September: Melosira granulata, Asterionella
formosa, Tabellaria fenestrata, and Fragilaria crotonensis. In mid-June there
was a small bloom of Asterionella (2.6 mm3 liter"!) and Uroqlenopsis americana
(1.5 mm3 liter-1). Fragilaria attained a small bloom early in July (1.0 mm3
liter-1).
Cryptomonas spp. maintained low concentrations throughout the sampling
season. C. ovata reached near-bloom conditions in mid-October.
Anabaena scheremetievi was first observed late in May. By early July
its concentration in the epilimnion was becoming notable (1.0 mm3 liter-1), and
from July 2 through August 6 its average biomass was 2.6 mm3 liter"!. A.
scheremetievi peaked late in August (13 mm3 liter-1) and began to decline in
mid-September. Its average biomass was: August 8-September 13, 7.5 mm3
liter-1; September 17-October 24, 1.2 mm3 liter-1.
Anabaena circinalis var. macrospora was first observed in the epilimnion
late in June. Concentrations remained low through the sampling season, peaking
between 1.0 and 1.8 mm3 liter"! from late August to mid-September.
Coelosphaerium naegelianum contributed significantly to the epilimnion
plankton biomass between June and November, reaching its peak in August. Its
greatest biomass between June 10 and August 23 was 3.4 mm3 liter-1; August 26,
18 mm3 liter-1; August 30-November 6, 1.6 mm3 liter-1.
73
-------
From August 8 through September 13 the dominant blue-greens A. scheremetievi;
A. circinalis, and C. naegelianum represented 89-96% of the total epilimnic
plankton, which ranged from 5.9 to 34 mm^ liter"*.
Among the hypolimnic plankton, M. granulata showed quite a high biomass
in late February (4.1 mm3 liter"!) ancj a smaller, but notable, concentration
in mid-July (1.0 mm3 liter"*). On one survey date early in July the hypolimnic
concentration of C. naegelianum was quite high (7.4 mm3 liter"*), but contri-
butions from this species did not reach 1.0 mm3 liter"* again until early
October (1.7 mm3 liter'*). A. scheremetievi was not detected in high concen-
trations in the hypolimnion, except on one survey early in October (3.3 mm3
liter"*). Aggregations of fine mineral detritus were often abundant in the
lower waters. Clumps of a narrow fiber (l.6~n diam.) thought to be organic
material (possibly silicon, p. 86) were also seen. Actinomycetes and the
iron bacterium Leptothrix were observed occasionally.
1975—Spring and summer samples contained low concentrations of diatoms
and the dinoflagellates Crvptomonas spp. and Ceratium hirundinella. Early in
June the rotifer Polyarthra sp. became noticeable.
The Anabaena scheremetievi population was negligible early in June. By
mid-July it had reached 3.5 mm3 liter"*, and a peak bloom of 8.7 was recorded
late in August. The average biomass from July 29 through September 8 was
6.5 mm3 liter"*. By late fall it was well below 1.0 mm3 liter'*.
Coelosphaerium naegelianum was scarce compared to previous years, peaking
at 1.4 mnr* liter"* early in September. The chrysophyte Mallomonas sp. was a
minor contributor to the plankton community in September. Cryptomonas ovata
reached small bloom proportions (l.l mm3 liter'*) in mid-October.
The hypolimnic plankton biomass was low throughout the sampling season.
Anabaena and Coelosphaerium, dominant in the epilimnion, did not contribute
significantly to the hypolimnion, although Coelosphaerium reached 1.1 mm3
liter"* late in September. Aggregates of fine mineral detritus were very pre-
valent in the lower waters, accompanied in spring and early summer by high
concentrations of an actinomycete and the iron bacteria Siderocapsa and
Leptothrix.
Upper St. Regis Lake
Upper St. Regis Lake was viewed as a control lake which might show the
conditions to be expected in Lower St. Regis Lake in the absence of pollution
from the Paul Smith's College sewage treatment plant. For this reason its
plankton community was of special interest.
Predominant Plankton—
Figures 28-29 illustrate the epilimnic biomass pattern for the predominant
plankton species for 1972-1974. The chrysophyte Uroqlenopsis americana and the
colonial blue-green Anacystis incerta were the chief epilimnic phytoplankton
in the spring/early summer and summer/fall, respectively. Dinobryon bavaricum
(Chrysophyta) produced a significant bloom in the spring of 1973.
74
-------
10
1.0
O.I
LT
1.0
O.I
T LT
ro
E
E 0.1
LT
O.I
LT
1C
1.0
O.I
LT
Anacys. incer.
Coel. naeg.
Gomph. locust.
Dinob. divarg.
Crypt, ovota
. A /
t- i' I'. -1 i i !—I—»...<....!
MAM J
J A
SON
10
1.0
O.I
LT
O.I
LT
i Coel. naeg. 6
Gomph.
locust.
O.I
LT
Crypt, ovota
O.I
LT
1.0
O.I
LT
10
1.0
O.I
LTL1
Dinob. diverg.
Dinob. bavar.
M A
V
J J A Is oIN
MONTHS
Fig. 28. Species biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake epilimnion,
1972 (left) - 1973 (right)-. LT = less than
75
-------
10
10
1.0
0.
LT
1.0
O.I
LT
1.0
O.I
LT
1.0
O.I
LT
1.0
O.I
LT
Anacys. /'freer.
Coel. naeg. 6>
Gomph. locust.
Dinob. diverg.
\
m
Crypt, ovata
Dinob. bavar.
Fig. ?9.
M A I M I J J I A I S ON
MONTHS
Species biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake epilimnion, 1974.
LT = less than
76
-------
The blue-green Coelosphaerium naeqelianum, in addition to the species just
mentioned, contributed most to the hypolimnic biomass during these years.
Figures 30-32 illustrate the total biomass of predominant plankton
(epilimnion and hypolimnion curves) for 1972-1974. The major observations for
each year can be summarized as follows:
1972—In early June macroscopic white specks were visible in the epilimnic
sample. They consisted of Anabaena flos-aquae and large ciliates. On this
survey there was also a bloom of the large colonial chrysophyte Uroglenopsis
americana. Due to large colony size and scarcity of colonies, the biomass
estimates for Uroglenopsis were not considered reliable, with the exception
of this June epilimnion sample from Upper St. Regis Lake. The species volume
derived from this sample (32 mm3 liter"1) was considered representative because
the colony concentration was sufficiently high to allow a count of 70 colonies
within a concentration of 10 ml of sample.
By mid-July the biomass of Anacvstis incerta (Cyanophyta) was very high
(14 mm3 liter-!). This remained the most important species through mid-October,
accounting for 50-100% of the total epilimnic plankton biomass, which ranged
from 1.9-14 mm3 liter"!.
The dinoflagellates Cryptomonas erosa and C. ovata were found in low con-
centrations throughout the sampling season. The blue-greens Coelosphaerium
naegelianum (summer) and Gomphosphaeria lacustris (summer/fall) contributed a
small biomass to the epilimnion, as did Dinobrvon divergens (fall).
/
By early June the lower waters contained a high concentration of U. ameri-
cana (6.5 mm3 liter"1). In mid-July C. naegelianum was recorded at 5.9 mm^
liter"1 in the hypolimnion. Chrysosphaerella longispina was also apparent at
that time. In August-October A. incerta concentrations for the most part
peaked over 1.0 mm3 liter"1. Species contributing lesser amounts to the hypo-
limnion from late summer through late fall were G. lacustris, D. divergens,
and Crvptomonas spp.
1973—In late May Pinobryon bavaricum exhibited a bloom of 8.8 mm3 liter"1.
During that survey Uroglenopsis americana reached 1.2 mm3 liter"1, and by early
June it was estimated at 15 mm3 liter-1. By late June its biomass was down
to 1.4 mm3 liter-1. However, the Uroglenopsis counts were too low to produce
a reliable biomass estimate. Svnura was found in low concentrations in mid-
July.
The peak biomass for Anacystis incerta was recorded early in July (9.0 mm3
liter"1). This species exceeded 1.0 mm3 liter-1 in mid-July and again in
September but otherwise produced only a small biomass from late June through
the sampling season.
Cryptomonas ovata was found in low concentrations (above 0.10 mm3 liter"1)
from spring through midsummer, as was Gomphosphaeria lacustris (summer and fall)
and Dinobrvon diverqens (late fall).
In the spring and early summer the chief contributors to the hypolimnic
77
-------
100.0
10.0
0.1
LT
N
Fig. 30. Total plankton biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1972.
-------
100.0
10.0
-------
ioao
10.0
(D
+J
°£
Illlllllll IIIIM |lllll|lllll IIIIM Illlljd
TOTAL PLANKTON
•—• EPILIMNION
—- HYPOLIMNION
LT - LESS THAN
I IVI I H MM I IN
N D
Fig. 32. Total plankton biomass for Upper St. Regis Lake, 1974.
-------
biomass were D. bavaricum (peaks of 2.2 and 3.3 mm3 liter-1) and U. americana
(peak of 6.0 mm3 liter-1). In June Synura spp. were noticeable in the lower
waters.
A. incerta was found in low concentrations in the hypolimnion from mid-
July to mid-October, peaking at 1.0 mm^ liter-1 early in October. G. lacustris
was apparent in the latter half of the summer; D. divergens, in the latter half
of the fall.
The sulfur bacterium Beggiatoa. as well as other filamentous bacteria and
an unusual filamentous type of detritus (believed to be organic material,
possibly silicon, p. 86 ) were occasionally noticed in the hypolimnic samples.
1974—The high biomass recorded in spring to midsummer of the previous two
years was absent in 1974. No Uroglenopsis americana bloom was seen in May or
June. Dinobrvon spp. values were low, and Anacvstis incerta reached bloom
conditions only late in September (2.6 mm3 liter-1). Aside from this bloom,
the plankton biomass of the epilimnion was small. The following species appeared
sporadically in low concentrations: Dinobrvon bavaricum (mid-May), Cyclotella
sp. (late June), Gomphosphaeria lacustris (late July), and Tabellaria fenestrata
and Peridinium cinctum (early September). The detritus concentration was high
in many samples from the surface and epilimnion, especially that of the unusual
filamentous detritus seen in the hypolimnion the previous year. The iron
bacterium Siderocapsa was occasionally noted.
The hypolimnic plankton biomass was likewise low, punctuated by low con-
centrations of Siderocapsa in spring and fall and of the diatom Melosiig
granulate in late September. Most samples contained an abundance of mineral
detritus aggregations. The unusual filamentous detritus observed the previous
year was present in 1974 -as well, occasionally in high concentrations.
Spitfire Lake
Spitfire Lake is of interest primarily because it lies immediately above
Lower St. Regis Lake. Its plankton community is an indicator of the quality
of water the lower lake receives from the upper lakes. Due to the shallowness
of Spitfire Lake the lower waters were not sampled.
Predominant Plankton—
Figures 33-34 illustrate the epilimnic biomass pattern for the predominant
plankton species during 1973-1974. The chrysophytes Uroglenopsis americana
(1973), Dinobrvon bavaricum, and Melosira granulata were the chief phytoplankton
in the spring and early summer. The blue-green alga Anacystis incerta was
important during the summer and fall of 1973. M. granulata and Dinobrvon
divergens exhibited small blooms in the fall.
Figures 35-36 illustrate the total biomass of predominant plankton in the
epilimnion for 1973-1974. The major observations for each year can be summarized
as follows:
1973—:During the spring and early summer, the prevailing species were the
four chrysophytes Melosira granulata, Dinobryon bavaricum, Uroglenopsis americana,
81
-------
10
1.0
Gomph. locust.
1.0
O.I
LT
Mai. gran.
M I A I M I J J I A S I O I N I
MONTHS
M A M J J A S O N
Fig. 33. Species biomass for Spitfire Lake epilimnion, 1973.
LT = less than
•
-------
O.t
LT
1.0
O.I
ro LT
E
E
i.o
0.1
LT
1.0
O.I
LTL
Anab. spp.
z
Dinob. diverg.
Mel. gran.
Dinob. bavar.
M I A I M J
JASON
MONTHS
Fig. 34. Species biomass for Spitfire Lake epilimnion, 1974.
LT = less than
83
-------
100.0
i iiiiiiiiiii i Mini nun iiiiiuiiiii iiiiii iiiiiiiuii i nun
TOTAL PLANKTON
.—• EPILIMNION
LT - LESS THAN
10.0
1.0
0.1
LT
II I I III Mill I I I I III II I III I II I I II III I II I I III I I I II II I I II I I II II II II III I II
M
M
J J
1973
N D
Fig. 35. Total plankton biomass for Spitfire Lake, 1973.
-------
1000
illll IMIMIIIIII IIIMI II
= TOTAL PLANKTON
—• EPILIMNION
LT - LESS THAN
| | I I I I | I I I I I |I I I I I | I I I I I | I I I I I | I I I I I | I I I \±
100
-------
and Asterionella formosa. Uroglenopsis estimates peaked at 9.5 mm3 liter-1
late in May and at 1.1 late in June. (Due to the scarcity of the large
Uroqlenopsis colonies, the biomass'wais not considered reliable.) D. bavaricum
attained a small bloom (1.5 mm3 liter-1) late in May. Late in June Anabaena
flos-aquae reached a concentration approaching a small bloom. Anacystis incerta
and Gomphosphaeria lacustris contributed low concentrations to the epilimnion
from late June into fall, with Anacystis peaking at or above 1.0 mm3 liter-1
in mid-July and early October. Anabaena scheremetievi became noticeable during
September and October but did not -reach small bloom proportions. Low concen-
trations of Anabaena circinalis var. macrospora were present then also. Small
blooms were exhibited by Melosira (1.0 mm3 liter-1) late in September and by
Dinobryon divergens (4.1 mm3 liter-1) early in November.
1974--The biomass contributed by Uroglenopsis americana and Anacystis
incerta was negligible, and the late' fall bloom of Dinobrvon divergens was
much less than that of 1973. As a result, the plankton biomass for Spitfire
Lake during 1974 was quite low. Dinobrvon bavaricum and Melosira granulata
exhibited small blooms (1.1 and 1.7 mm3 liter-1) in mid-May. Late in June
large clumps of Anabaena flos-aguae were occasionally noted during microscopic
examination. Anabaena scheremetievi and A. circinalis var. macrospora were
found in low concentrations during the summer and fall, as was Melosira during
the fall. ' D. divergens produced a small bloom (1.6 mm3 liter-!) late in
October.
The unusual filamentous detritus was found in high concentrations in a
few of the samples. The sample collected on July 30 was examined with a
scanning electron microscope energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer (Fig. 37). • Since
elemental analysis showed a high silicon content, these formations may be
partly disintegrated siliceous frustules or spicules.
86
-------
Fig. 37. Unidentified particles (possibly silicon) from Spitfire Lake.
Scanning electron microscope energy dispersive X-ray analyzer
photomicrograph of sample collected July 30, 1974. Scale
marker = 1.0 y.
87
-------
SECTION 9
LAKE CHEMICAL INPUTS AND CHEMICAL BALANCES
CHARACTERISTICS OF TRIBUTARIES
The chemical characteristics of the three gaged tributaries are summarized
on Tables 16-18. Of the three, Black Pond outlet must be considered most
characteristic for the basin, as it covers a large forested watershed without
population. The retention time of Black Pond is minimal, and the outlet is
rapidly moving and contains little humic matter. Analytical results for this
creek correlate well with analyses of undisturbed groundwater near Paul Smith's
College in the area now used for recharge. Although Black Pond drains not into
the main basin of Lower St. Regis Lake but into the outlet and its contribution
was not applied to the lake, the analytical log mean values were used to esti-
mate inputs to the lake from ungaged natural sources. (In establishing nutrient
balances, flow from Black Pond was deducted from St. Regis River flow to obtain
outputs from the main basin of the lake.)
Easy Street Creek is a major direct tributary to the lake, but its elec-
trolyte content is about 50$ higher than that of the other gaged tributaries.
This concerns the soluble major ions and is reflected in a higher conductivity.
This effect can be assumed to be due to septic tank leachate from the "suburbs"
of Paul Smiths, which are located in this watershed. Inputs from Easy Street
Creek are shown in the nutrient balances.
Spitfire Creek is a very minor tributary emanating from a swampy area.
When flow is low, the tributary forms an almost stagnant channel of strongly
humic water. While the electrolyte content is normal, nutrients are often
high and may reflect metabolism of the swampy area with periodic nutrient
storage and release. Peaty substances are clearly evident in the analytical
results for humic matter. Spitfire Creek may not reflect adequately the
inputs for any major area in the watershed and was therefore ignored.
The input from the upper lakes was calculated using Spitfire Lake analyt-
ical results. Swampy areas in the watershed are not rare but discharge
mainly into the upper lakes. A major wetland area, together with an open
channel, connects Spitfire and Lower St. Regis lakes. Spitfire Lake water
reaches the lower lake mainly via the open channel, but a rocking motion of
the channel water occurs and can be attributed to slight lake level changes
at both ends of the channel caused by wind. The wetlands will periodically
contribute nutrients as rainfall and groundwater flow push water from the marsh
into the open channel and as nutrients from these sources are taken up and
released by the marsh vegetation.
88
-------
Table 16. ROWS AND CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS; LOGARITHMIC MEANS, RANGES. AND
PROBABILITIES OF OCCURRENCE; BLACK POND OUTLET
Parameter
Discharge
Conductivity
Alkalinity
Na +
K +
Mg -H-
Ca total
Fe total
Mn total
ci-
S04=
N (N03-fN02)
N (NH4)
N organic
P react.
P total sol.
P total part.
Si react.
C org. sol.
Humic matter
Units:
Discharge in m
Fe, Mn, Si in
Abbreviations;
Min.
.020
38.800
.074
.070
.008
.050
.070
1.400
.360
.074
.130
100.000
20.000
50.000
2.000
4.000
.800
20.000
24.000
1.000
P=.02500
.024
35.865
.080
.014
.004
.037
.073
.228
.032
.005
.116
16.858
13.982
8.039
1.980
1.799
.432
16.853
17.100
.749
P=. 10000
.043
40.629
.111
.026
.007
.051
.108
.522
.183
.014
.136
59.982
23.395
35.471
3.450
3.901
1.199
35.542
21.399
1.027
P=. 25000
.070
45.129
.145
.039
.010
.065
.145
1.051
.403
.028
.151
153.686
35.930
122.822
5.514
7.471
2.799
61.799
24.691
1.327
Lg mean
.120
50.531
.194
.060
.015
.083
.194
2.228
.735
.056
.168
397.192
56.885
465.586
9.141
15.021
6.925
108.000
28.219
1.739
3 sec"1; conductivity in p.S cml1; total alkalinity
p.g-at liter1"1; N, P in p.g liter ; C, humic matter
P=. 75000 P=. 90000
.206
56.580
.259
.093
.022
.105
.261
4.727
1.340
.113
.187
1026.518
90.061
1764.910
15.154
v 30.199
17.136
118.741
32.250
2.278
.338
62.847
.340
.142
.032
.134
.348
9.505
2.947
.225
.208
2630.136
138.317
P=. 97500
.610
71.195
.469
.252
.055
.186
.515
21.784
17.123
.575
.244
Max.
.300
63.400
.700
.250
.046
.110
.320
16.000
2.000
.400
.190
9358.268 8000.000
231.433
360.000
6111.132 26963.481 3200.666
24.222
57.835
40.007
328.173
37.211
2.943
, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cl,
in mg liter'1
42.203
125.401
111.128
692.118
46.567
4.037
SO^ in meq
35.000
66.000
61.000
270.000
37.000
3.000
liter'1;
S/base 10
.339000
.071578
.182725
.263000
.242000
.149000
.179000
.476000
.317000
.428000
.063000
.580000
.290000
.842000
.320260
.441700
.571184
.341000
.078244
.169308
ig N
23
23
21
9
9
9
9
23
4
9
7
9
20
21
24
22
19
9
6
15
Min. = minimum
P = probability
Lg = logarithm
Max. = maximum
S/base 10 Ig * standard deviation as Iog10
N = number of observations
Chemical symbols: see List of Abbreviations and Symbols (p. ix )
-------
Table 17. ROWS AND CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS} LOGARITHMIC MEANS, RANGES, AND
PROBABILITIES OF OCCURRENCE; EASY STREET CREEK
vO
o
Parameter
Discharge
Conductivity
Alkalinity
Na +
K +
Mg -H-
Ca total
Fe total.
Mn total
Cl"
S0,=
N (N03-tW02)
N (NH4)
N organic
P react.
P total sol.
P total part.
Si react.
C org. sol.
C part.
Humic matter
Min.
.032
52.200
.056
.056
.008
.008
.130
.000
.073
.028
.021
100.000
20.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
28.000
1.000
.500
3.000
P=.02500
.024
55.758
.123
.065
.007
.044
.151
2.268
.090
.027
.031
69.312
7.646
13.837
1.398
3.253
.922
64.214
2.700
.204
2.141
P=. 10000
.030
59.509
.176
.078
.010
.063
.180
3.403
.163
.043
.049
146.941
15.528
45.305
2.588
6.561
1.973
92.463
5.705
.365
2.788
P=. 25000
.036
62.983
.241
.091
.013
.087
.209
4.856
.267
.062
.074
281.278
28.720
127.013
4.406
12.017
3.828
126.475
10.851
.602
3.430
Lg mean
.044
67.019
.339
.107
.017
.123
.246
7.173
.455
.094
.115
570.953
56.234
392.103
7.870
23.227
7.905
177.787
21.827
1.036
4.256
P=. 75000
.054
71.314
.478
.127
.024
.175
.289
10.596
.775
.142
.178
1158.948
110.106
1210.466
14.060
44.897
16.326
249.918
43.907
1.783
5.280
P=. 90000
.064
75.477
.654
.149
.031
.240
.336
15.118
1.272
.207
.267
2218.483
203.644
3393.518
23.939
82.224
31.669
341.848
83.508
2.939
6.497
P=. 97500
.080
80.555
.937
.178
.043
.347
.400
22.690
2.295
.321
.427
4703.194
413.603
11111.014
44.317
165.861
67.778
492.233
176.480
5.264
8.461
Max.
.170
81.500
1.100
.260
.150
.210
.360
32.000
1.600
.340
1.500
11000.000
700.000
8700.000
37.000
100.000
54.000
300.000
100.000
5.000
8.000
S/base 10
.124150
.039703
.219700
.108300
.196000
.221965
.104490
.249700
.336800
.263300
.280288
.451448
.429000
.720000
.370000
.420000
.463500
.216800
.444950
.345700
.133890
lg N
58
49
52
42
42
40
42
59
22
38
35
38
43
45
38
36
48
33
33
32
12
Unitst
Discharge in m3 sec-1; conductivity in jiS cm-lj total alkalinity, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cl, S04 in meq liter-1}
Fe, Mn, Si in ng-at liter"1} N, P in pg liter"1} C, humic matter in mg liter"1
Abbreviations:
Min. = minimum
P = probability
Lg = logarithm
Max. = maximum
S/base 10 lg = standard deviation as log,0
N = number of observations
Chemical symbols: see List of Abbreviations and Symbols (p. ix)
-------
Table 18. FLOWS AND CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS; LOGARITHMIC MEANS, RANGES, AND
PROBABILITIES OF OCCURRENCE} SPITFIRE CREEK
Parameter
Discharge
Conductivity
Alkalinity
Na -f
K +
Mg ++
Ca total
Fe total
Mn total
Cl~
so,=
N rNOo+NO,)
N (NH~)
N organic
P react.
P total sol.
P total part.
Si react.
C org, sol.
C part.
Humic matter
Units:
Min.
.001
33.000
.020
.022
.003
.008
.025
.280
.055
.014
.083
5.100
20.000
5.000
1.000
5.000
1.000
10.000
13.000
.500
3.000
1
P=.02500
.000
35.418
.019
.012
.004
.018
.039
1.420
.113
.010
.068
17.082
6.124
65.637
3.246
8.537
.593
7.868
16.714
.172
2.692
P=. 10000
.001
39.851
.038
.022
.006
.027
.058
2.539
.181
.017
.096
44.855
15.869
148.746
5.706
14.445
1.615
18.087
22.076
.332
5.378
P=. 25000
.002
44.167
.067
.038
.009
.038
.081
4.220
.268
.027
.128
103.742
36.327
303.150
9.292
22.710
3.841
36.857
27.924
.582
9.494
Lg mean
.006
49.431
.126
.068
.013
.055
.117
7.367
.407
.046
.176
259.418
89.877
660.693
15.812
37.154,
9.880
79.781
35.975
1.074
17.374
P=. 75000
.023
55.323
.237
.121
.018
.080
.168
12.861
.620
.077
.241
648.703
222.369
1439.936
26.908
60.782
25.416
172.694
46.347
1.981
31.794
P=90000
.071
61.314
.421
.205
.025
.114
.236
21.378
.918
.124
.323
1500.340
509.027
2934.641
43.816
95.561
60.430
351.921
58.625
3.479
56.133
P=97500
.266
68.989
.819
.379
.036
.169
.354
38.235
1.469
.216
.454
3939.639
1319.103
6650.459
77.034
161.699
164.490
808.925
77.432
6.693
112.138
Max.
7.000
67.000
1.000
3.000
.031
.180
.250
17.000
1.300
.760
.830
8000.000
30150.000
4100.000
46.000
280.000
280.000
1200.000
72.000
11.700
227.000
S/base 10
.802000
.071990
.403000
.367980
.223760
.239600
.229181
,356476
.265000
.331100
.201869
.585300
.578733
.497800
.339000
.313489
.602650
.491000
.160492
.390000
.379850
lg N
49
50
44
37
36
37
20
55
20
35
32
44
46
47
38
34
39
30
24
34
17
Discharge in m3 sec"1; conductivity in uS cm'1! total alkalinity, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cl, S04 in meq liter'1;
Fe, Mn, Si in u-g-at liter'1; N, P in ng liter"1; C, humic matter in mg liter"1
Abbreviations!
Min. = minimum
P = probability
Lg = logarithm
Max. = maximum
S/base 10 lg = standard deviation as
N = number of observations
Chemical symbols: see List of Abbreviations and Symbols (p.
-------
A lognormal distribution of concentration values was confirmed in the
case of phosphorus, and it was inferred for other parameters from previous
observations elsewhere (e.g., Fuhs, 1972; Fuhs and Allen, 1975). Regressions
of phosphate concentrations on flow for Easy Street Creek did not produce
significant correlations, and the log mean values were used to calculate
inputs. To assess inputs from the upper lakes, the arithmetic means of values
from consecutive surveys bracketing each period were employed.
PHOSPHORUS BUDGET
An estimate of phosphorus inputs into Lower St. Regis Lake is shown in
Table 19 and summarized in Table 20.
Table 20. SUMMARY OF PHOSPHORUS INPUTS AND LOSSES INTO LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
(kg)
Other Outflow/
Period
Nov
May
Nov
May
72- Apr
73-Oct
73- Apr
74-Oct
73
73
74
74
Precipitation
42
64
42
86
STP
100
28
194
(3)
inputs
1004
747
693
654
Total
1104
775
887
657
Sedimentation
n.
n.
d.
13
d.
432
Outflow
1933
932
554
930
inputs
1
1
0
1
.75
.20
.62
.42
STP = sewage treatment plant
n.d. = not determined
Phosphorus inputs from the sewage treatment plant amounted to 8-15/6 of
the total inputs during the period when phosphate removal by iron precipita-
tion was practiced during the summer. No phosphate removal occurred during
winter. Areal loadings of phosphorus amounted to 1.0-1.3 g m~2 which confirms
that this lake must still be considered eutrophic. Phosphate retention varied
greatly with season, and a substantial excess of losses over inputs occurred
over most periods, as has been observed by Larsen et al. (1975) in Lake
Shagawa, Minnesota, during its recovery from phosphate eutrophication.
During the period of the study 1972-1974, the lake was subject to a phos-
phorus loading regime which is likely to produce deviations from the common
predictions of eutrophy, chlorophyll density, and transparency as a function
of phosphorus loadings. During winter sewage continued to enter, leading to
high phosphate concentrations. During spring the nutrient was in part uti-
lized by algae in a spring bloom of diatoms and flagellates but also was to
some extent flushed from the lake during high spring flows. During summer
sewage phosphorus inputs were reduced to 15-20$ of their previous levels,
causing a reduction and delay in the summer bloom. As the phosphorus budget
indicates, this reduction was probably less than proportional to the reduction
in inputs, as the blooms were fueled by phosphorus stored in the lake.
92
-------
Table 19. PHOSPHORUS BUDGET. LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
(kg P day"1)
Period
ending
Oct 11
Nov 9
Jan 11
Feb 6
Apr 26
May 7
May 24
Jun 6
Jun 20
Jul 6
Jul 19
Aug 2
Aug 16
Sep 4
Sep 20
Oct 4
Oct 18
Nov 1
Feb 11
Max 12
Mar 25
Apr 30
May 14
Jun 13
Jun 27
Jul 30
Sep 4
Sep 26
Oct 24
Nov 6
1972
1972
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
No.
days
11
29
63
26
79
11
17
13
14
16
13
14
14
19
16
14
14
14
92
29
13
36
14
30
14
33
36
22
28
13
Prec.
0.13
0.38
0.26
0.16
0.22
0.26
0.54
0.26
0.54
0.45
0.26
0.32
0.23
0.07
0.62
0.38
0.24
0.08
0.26
0.14
0.37
0.31
0.48
0.18
0.32
0.48
0.33
0.34
0.15
0.13
Easy St. Inter-
Creek lake
0.13
0.14
0.13
0.12
0.15
0.16
0.16
0.17
0.16
0.22
0.15
0.13
0.12
0.11
0.19
0.15
0.12
0.12
0.14
0.12
0.11
0.18
0.24
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.10
0.19
0.12
0.11
1.13
2.55
3.21
2.03
6.24
2.72
7.54
3.18
4.55
3.70
1.39
1.15
2.18
0.68
1.82
7.02
0.35
2.37
3.20
3.30
4.47
1.66
7.04
2.08
1.13
1.24
1.47
2.28
4.70
0.40
Ungaged
runoff STP
0.26
0.40
0.63
0.57
1.18
0.90
1.09
1.01
0.82
0.51
0.46
0.41
0.32
0.19
0.37
0.43
0.45
0.35
0.51
0.78
0.59
1.22
1.76
0.82
0.64
0.51
0.51
0.45
0.35
0.31
0.33
0.45
0.49
0.71
0.57
0.29
0.27
0.17
0.21
0.13
0.13
0.14
0.19
0.09
0.22
0.23
0.26
0.10
0.77
1.28
1.60
1.62
0.22
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Total
input
1.98
3.92
4.72
3.59
8.36
4.33
9.60
4.79
6.28
5.01
2.39
2.15
3.04
1.14
3.22
8.21
1.42
3.02
4.88
5.62
7.14
4.99
9.74
3.23
2.24
2.38
2.41
3.26
5.32
0.95
Sedim.
7.72
4.59
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
0.49
2.46
0.21
1.78
0.00
1.21
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.29
0.86
0.21
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
0.24
8.80
2.14
0.94
1.33
1.27
3.79
n.d.
St. Regis
River
3.
4.
7.
9.
14.
6.
10.
9.
6.
5.
2.
2.
3.
2.
4.
9.
1.
2.
3.
1.
4.
4.
12.
5.
1.
1.
4.
5.
7.
1.
00
82
21
31
80
09
41
69
86
00
31
14
71
53
13
64
64
06
19
24
16
69
71
87
93
41
67
12
58
31
Prec. = precipitation
STP = sewage treatment plant
Sedim. = sedimentation
n.d. = not determined
93
-------
Other complicating factors were inputs in the form of plankton algae,
which grow in Spitfire Lake and the connecting channel and are subject to
sedimentation in the lower lake, and possible precipitation of pho'sphates
with iron and manganese in the lower lake. For these' reasons the relationship
between phosphate concentrations and phytoplankton response is not likely to
be typical, and indeed phytoplankton response was only half of the expected
value.
NITROGEN BUDGET
Calculation of the nitrogen budget analogous to that of phosphorus
showed inputs and outputs to be approximately balanced at 14,000 kg during
the winter, months of November 1973 through April 1974. Retention was 25/6
of 10,000 to 11,000 kg input during the summers (May-October) of 1973 and
1974. Sedimentation in these 6-month periods was 1,700 and 1,400 Jcg
respectively. These losses,may be due to accumulation of organic nitrogen
in the sediment, or denitrification, or both.
94
-------
SECTION 10
DISCUSSION
As a result of curtailment of sewage phosphorus inputs, Lower St. Regis
Lake is recovering from severe eutrophication. Recovery became more pro-
nounced since the time when 80% removal of sewage phosphorus during summer
was replaced by 100/^ phosphorus removal year-round. Although the lake showed
sufficient visible improvement during the first two years (1972, 1973) for
the change to be noted by local residents, this improvement essentially con-
sisted of a delay in the rising of the summer blue-green algal bloom to the
surface. In summer 1975 the change was so dramatic that the lake no longer
had objectionable qualities of any magnitude for more than 3 weeks, as opposed
to all-summer nuisance conditions in the years preceding restoration. Since
the sandbeds to which the sewage treatment effluent has been diverted are
expected to retain phosphates completely for a great number of years, the lake
could possibly recover to a state of eutrophy which may be less than the upper
lakes. These lakes appear to receive septic tank leachate containing phos-
phates, whereas the lower lake has no such sources remaining (except 5
isolated cottages for temporary occupancy).
The eutrophic state of Lower St. Regis Lake is borne out by all measure-
ments of epilimnic characteristics relevant in this respect (Table 21).
Table 21. MEASUREMENTS OF EUTROPHY, LOWER LAKE
Lower St. Regis Lake
Constituent
Chlorophyll a (|j,g liter"1)
Total phosphorus (|j.g liter"1 )
Particulate phosphorus (^ig liter"1 )
Secchi disc transparency (m )
n.d. = not determined
1972 1973 1974
n.d. 8.2 ± 6.0 10.1 ± 7.3
75 ±26 77 ± 28 46 ± 32
26 ± 10 29- ± 17 22 ± 20
1.56 1.72 1.74
a Mean summer values.
95
-------
The corresponding data for Upper St. Regis and Spitfire lakes are shown
on Table 22.
Table 22. MEASUREMENTS OF EUTROPHY, UPPER LAKES a
Upper St. Regis Spitfire
Constituent 1973 1974 1973 1974
Chlorophyll a (jig liter'1) 1.6 ± 1.6 1.7 ± 0.8 1.7 ± 1.4 1.5 ± 0.5
Total phosphorus (jig liter"1) 44 ±11 62 ± 33 62 ±17 44 ± 28
Particulate phosphorus (jig liter'1) 12.5± 9 44 ± 30 19 ± 14 22 ± 18
Secchi disc transparency (m) 3.7 3.3 n.d. n.d.
n.d. = not determined
a Mean summer values.
The eutrophic character is also evident from the epilimnic phosphate
concentrations during spring overturn (Table 23).
Table 23. EPILIMNIC PHOSPHORUS DURING SPRING OVERTURN
F liter'1), LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
Year
1972
1973
1974
Date
May 9
Apr 26
May 7
Mar 12
Apr 25
Apr 30
May 14
Soluble P
42
33
60
20
42
35
36
Particulate P
28
28
14
<1
5
17
8.8
Total P
70
61
74
21
47
52
45
The apparent hypolimnic oxygen deficit in Lower St. Regis Lake calcu-
lated according to Hutchinson (1938) is around 0.030-0.045 mg 02»cm'2.day~1
96
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and did not change materially over the study period. At the end of the
season the hypolimnion is essentially depleted of oxygen. In lakes where
this occurs, a true hypolimnic oxygen deficit can be calculated either by
adding the oxygen demand of methane dissolved in the hypolimnion (Lasenby
1975) or by converting the oxygen deficit to a carbon dioxide basis and
adding excess carbon dioxide derived from the anaerobic decomposition of
organic matter (Ohle, 1952). Conversely, the excess carbon dioxide accumu-
lation calculated according to Ohle can be converted to oxygen demand
assuming a respiratory quotient of 0.85. We did not measure hypolimnic
methane accumulation, so that the carbon dioxide method is the only one we
can apply. If this is done it appears that the anaerobic processes in
Lower St. Regis decreased during the study period indicating recovery from
a severe to a lesser degree of eutrophy (Table 24).
Table 24. HYPOLIMNIC OXYGEN DEFICIT AND
CARBON DIOXIDE ACCUMULATION TN LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
(mg 02-cm~
Apparent
oxygen
deficit
Deficit
calculated
from excess
carbon dioxide
True oxygen
deficit
1971 May 1 - Aug 4 0.041
1972 May 1 - Jul 25 0.041
May 1 - Aug 15 0.029
1973 May 1 - Aug 2 0.042
May 1 - Aug 16 0.043
May 1 - Sep 4 0.033
1974 May 1 - Jul 20 0.028
May 1 - Sep 4 0.017
1975 May 1 - Jul 17 0.044
n.d. = not determined
0.092
0.046
0.024
0
0
0
0
0.008
n.d.
0.133
0.087
0.053
0.042
0.043
0.033
0.028
0.025
n.d.
The hypolimnic oxygen deficit for Upper St. Regis Lake cannot be calcu-
lated for lack of reliable bathymetric data. Spitfire Lake is too shallow
to stratify.
Considering the fact that Lower St. Regis Lake is phosphate-limited,
phosphorus loading data can be related to the response of the lake in terms
of standing concentrations of phosphorus, chlorophyll, and transparency.
As morphometric and hydrologic characteristics of the lake we use mean depth
z= 5.6 m, mean hydraulic retention time TW = 0.215 yr (or hydraulic loading
97
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qs = z • Tw-1 = 26.0 m • yr"1). Pre-study phosphorus loading is 1.16 g
• -ra"2 * yr"1; after point-source diversion the loading is 0.87 g • m~2 • yr"1.
According to the empirical findings by Vollenweider (1968), both loading
figures suggest the lake to be eutrophic (probability of transition to
eutrophic at 0.14 mg P • m~2 • day for z= 5.6. ) Introducing certain ele-
ments of the mixed reactor model (Vollenweider 1975, 1976), the predicted
phosphorus concentration at spring overturn ([P]sp) where Ip = areal phosphorus
loading, would be
or 30 jig liter'1 before and 22 pxj liter"1 after point-source phosphorus con-
trol. The latter predicted value approaches the limit which separates
eutrophy from mesotrophy (20 ng liter-1). Measured values were often twice
the predicted values (Table 23). If the predicted values are converted to
chlorophyll, according to Sakamoto (1966), as
Iog10 [chla] = 1.45 log1Q [P ]SP - i.i4
the predicted values are 10 and 6.4 ng liter"1 respectively. This is close
to the measured mean concentrations (Table 21). A similar discrepancy between
phosphate and chlorophyll values was observed by Welch et al. (1973) in Lake
Sammamish, Washington, and was explained in terms of unavailability of phos-
phate or iron. In the case of Lower St. Regis Lake, it is conceivable that
easily available phosphorus from natural runoff is already largely exploited
by the upper lakes and bog vegetation, and that the remainder is less readily
available than the phosphates from the sewage treatment plant effluent. Like-
wise the contribution to Lower St. Regis Lake from direct runoff during the
growing season may be less than the annual average. Available nutrients from
base flow are likely to be retained in the wetland vegetation from where they
are released only during fall and spring runoff.
Comparison with Lake Shagawa, Minnesota (Larsen et al., 1975), which is
undergoing oligotrophication as a result of point-source phosphorus control,
is equally instructive. That lake is undergoing phosphorus washout, but
summer blooms still appear as the result of internal loading events, although
the relative reduction 'of total phosphorus loading in Lake Shagawa is much
more drastic (80/£) than in St. Regis Lake.
Lower St. Regis Lake also has a more favorable morphology than Shagawa
Lake. It is deeper and better stratified, and the near-circular basin shape
reduces wind fetch, and therefore mixed layer depth and the volume ratio of
epilimnion to hypolimnion. This favors nutrient retention and delays
thermocline erosion and internal loading events. (Lake Shagawa is 5 times
larger and is unstratified except in "deep holes.")
Another factor favoring recovery of Lower St. Regis Lake is the abun-
dance of iron in its waters, particularly the large amount which has been
trapped o'ver years of high productivity by sedimentation into the hypolimnion.
98
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This iron will bind phosphorus until oxygen depletion reaches the upper
layers of the hypolimnion. Any delay of hypolimnic oxygen depletion will
delay phosphorus mobilization from the hypolimnion and therefore have a
self-reinforcing effect. At fall overturn the iron will be reoxidized,
and phosphate will be precipitated and deposited, available for summer
algal growth only in the narrow littoral parts of the euphotic zone.
Additional iron supply from sewage treatment in the summers of 1972 and
1973 undoubtedly has assisted in this regard. (Shagawa Lake is located
in the iron ore district of Minnesota, yet no data on the iron cycle in
that lake have become available.)
The causes for the internal loading events that lead to summer
blooms in lakes even after reduction of phosphate inputs may differ from
lake to lake. Thexmocline erosion, which is a significant factor in
Lake Mendota (Stauffer and Lee, 1973), is not measurably related to the
explosive appearance of the Anabaena bloom in Lower St. Regis Lake.
It is interesting to note that in spite of the reduction of both
bloom intensity and duration over the past 3 years, the hypolimnic oxygen
depletion in the lake has not been reduced noticeably (Fig. 8). Obser-
vations on sediment cores show that the sediments are producing marsh gas
in great amounts. Methane is a potentially very significant factor in
the depletion of hypolimnic oxygen resources of lakes. The gas rises,
in bubble or dissolved form, via currents to the oxygenated layer, where
it is oxidized by bacteria. With the gas, phosphates released chemically
are carried into the water column.
Akinetes of Anabaena were found at the surface of the sediment cores
collected in winter and were easily brought to germination in the labora-
tory by ±2.Ruminating the cores in their Plexiglas tubing and warming to
room temperature. Akinetes could possibly be carried upward by gas
bubbles or currents into the photic zone where they could germinate and
develop a population, at first close to the thermocline, then rising by
their gas vacuoles. Also, akinetes in the deeper littoral could germinate
and greatly benefit from the infusion of hypolimnic nutrients when hypo-
limnic oxygen depletion progresses.
In experiments yet to be completed (they will be described in detail
elsewhere), we have collected algae from Lower St. Regis Lake and pro-
cessed them fox cytochemical examination. Samples taken from the epi-
limnion in July 1974, before the onset of the Anabaena bloom, showed
diatoms which were highly vacuolized and almost devoid of cytoplasm and
reserve material. Anabaena filaments were present in small numbers but
were in an extremely viable condition, as shown by their high protein
and ribonucleic acid content and by the presence of polyphosphate granules
(phosphate storage) and cyanophycin (nitrogen reserve). These cells were
devoid of gas vacuoles. Their specific gravity is likely to be high, so
that they are kept afloat by upward currents in the mixed layer (reducing
loss rate by a high rate of multiplication), or develop a substantial
population in the sediments in the littoral, or both. Anabaena filaments
taken during bloom conditions were full of gas vacuoles and devoid of
99
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storage materials.
These observations and the evidence from light attenuation measure-
ments of a rising of the bloom suggest that Anabaena develops in the
lower epilimnion and subsequently rises to the surface when gas vacuoles
have formed.
If the internal loading event leading to this bloom indeed is
"driven" by methane forming in the sediments, an explanation would be
found for the recurrence of the hypolimnic oxygen deficit even in the
absence of a significant spring bloom (as in 1975) and for the recurrence
of the algal bloom over the past 3 years, about 4 weeks after the effects
of hypolimnic oxygen demand have reached both the photic zone and the
thermocline at a depth of about 4-5 m. Reduced gassing during consoli-
dation of the sediments could then be expected to result in the gradual
disappearance of the bloom.
100
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SECTION 11
THE FUTURE OF LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
Lower St. Regis Lake will remain under scientific surveillance by the
Environmental Health Center in cooperation with the State's regulatory
agencies, with particular emphasis on lake water quality and containment
of sewage phosphorus in the recharge beds.
As far as we can see, the future of the lake with regard to phos-
phorus loadings is secured by these measures, as well as by the prevailing
patterns of land ownership and land use control. If the moderate eutrophy
in the upper lakes becomes a reason for concern, reductions in phosphate
inputs into that basin are possible. Since phosphate retention in the
upper lakes is likely to be substantial, the lower lake can be expected
to be less eutrophic than both upper lakes. In 1975, for the first time
in the study period, it manifested a clear brown color during most of the
summer season. Full recreational use of the lake is now possible through-
out the season, although the pattern of ownership and the abundance of
other recreational lakes in the area may not lead to a full realization of
that potential.
While the lake is adjusting to its new condition, the sediments will
undergo mineralization and consolidation, and favorable pH conditions
will produce a more gyttja- rather than peatlike sediment. The relative
reduction of blue-green algae, with a predominance of flagellates and some
diatoms, may improve conditions for zooplankton and benthic invertebrate
development* Fish populations resembling those in the upper lakes are
likely to develop. Total fish productivity, however, may well remain
below the levels in the upper lakes, due to somewhat lower primary pro-
ductivity.
101
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13. Fuhs, G. W. 1969. Phosphorus content and rate of growth in the diatoms
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18. Fuhs, G. W., S. D. Demmerle, E. Canelli, and M. Chen. 1972. Charac-
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19. Gales, M. E., A. C. Julian, and E. C. Kroner. 1966. A method for the
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Response of eutrophic Shagawa Lake, Minnesota, U.S.A., to point-source,
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25. Lazrus, A. L., K. C. Hill, and J. P. Lodge. 1966. A new colorimetric
microdetermination of sulfate ion, p. 291-293. In; Automation in analyt-
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26. Leslie, H. D., Sr. 1965-1966. A Yankee guide for high society:
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The Conservationist, December-January 1965-1966. Albany.
27. Lund, J. W. G., C. Kipling, and E. D. LeCren. 1958. The inverted
microscope method of estimating algal numbers and the statistical basis
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28. Lund, J. W. G. and J. F. Tailing. 1957. Botanical limnological methods
with special reference to the algae. Bot. Rev. 23:439-583.
29. Murphy, J. and J. P. Riley. 1962. A modified single solution method
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32. Ohle, W. 1952. Die hypolimnische Kohlendioxyd-Akkumulation als pro-
duktionsbiologischer Faktor. Arch. Hydrobiol. 46;153-285.
33. Parker, C. R. 1972. Water analysis by atomic absorption. Varian-
Techtron Corp.
34. Paul Smith's College. 1974-1975. History of Paul Smith's College,
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N. Y.
35. Perkin-Elmer. 1968. Analytical methods for atomic absorption spectro-
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36. Prescott, G. W. 1962. Algae of the western Great Lakes area. Wm. C.
Brown Co. Pub., Dubuque, Iowa. 977 p.
37. Sakamoto, M. 1966. Primary production by phytoplankton community in some
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38. Sauberer, F. 1962. Empfehlungen fur die Durchfuhrung von Strahlungs-
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39. Solorzano, L. 1169. Determination of ammonia in natural waters by
the phenolhypochlorite method. Limnol. Oceanog. 14:799-801.
40. Stauffer, R. E. and G. F. Lee. 1973. The role of thermocline migration
in regulating algal blooms, p. 73-82. In; E. J. Middlebrooks, D. H.
Falkenborg, and T. E. Maloney (ed.), Modeling the eutrophication process.
Proceedings of a workshop held at Utah State Univ., Logan, on Sept. 5-7,
.1973. Publ. PRW3 136-1.
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41. Strickland, J. D. H. and T. R. Parsons. 1968. A practical handbook of
seawater analysis. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 167. The Queen's Printer,
Ottawa, 311 p.
42. Tofflemire, T. J. 1975. Progress report on phosphate removal at the
Paul Smith's College sewage treatment plant in northern New York State.
Environmental Quality Research and Development Technical Paper No. 42,
N. Y. State Depart, of Environmental Conservation, Albany.
43. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 1971. Methods for
chemical analysis of water and wastes. U. S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D. C.
44. Utermohl, H. 1936. Quantitative Methoden zur Untersuchung des Nanno-
planktons. Abderhalden Hand. biol. Arb. Meth. 9(2):1879-1937.
•*
45. Utermohl, H. 1958. Zur Vervollkpmmnung der quantitativen Phytoplankton-
Methodik. International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnol-
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46. Vollenweider, R. A. 1968. The scientific basis of lake and stream eutro-
phication, with particular reference to phosphorus and nitrogen as eutro-
phication factors. Tech. Rep. OECD. Paris. DAS/CSI/68.27. 182 p.
47. Vollenweider, R. A. 1969. Sampling techniques and methods for esti-
mating quantity and quality of biomass. A manual on methods for
measuring primary production in aquatic environments. International
Biological Programme. Blackwell Scientific Pub., Oxford and Edinburgh.
48. Vollenweider, R. A. 1975. Input-output models. Schweiz. Z. Hydrol.
37:53-84.
49. Vollenweider, R. A. 1976. Advances in defining critical loading levels
for phosphorus in lake eutrophication. Mem. 1st. Ital. Idrobiol. 33;53-83.
50. Welch, E. B., C. A. Rock, and J. D. Krull. 1973. Long-term lake re-
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et al. ced.D, Modeling the eutrophication process. Publ. PRW3 136-1.
Utah State Univ. College of Engineering, Logan.
ID'S
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INVENTIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
There have been no publications on this study to date except the fol-
lowing reports:
"Progress Report on Phosphate Removal at the Paul Smith's College Sewage
Treatment Plant in Northern New York State" by T. J. Tofflemire, New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation, Environmental Quality Research
and Development Technical Paper No. 42, April 1975, 90 p.
Publications in scientific journals are contemplated and will include
proper acknowledgments of grant support.
Specifications for a remote telemetering system for operation in remote
areas were submitted to EPA earlier (Z. Kachemov, G. W. Fuhs and T. Msran,
Memorandum! Report dated June 22, 1973). The system was. implemented in a one-
channel version without unit conversion capability and tested with AM equip-
ment. Even in remote areas, nighttime interference proved to be substantial,
and conversion to FM operation proved necessary. At present, much of the
system has been rebuilt with military specification components and tested at
the St. Regis study site over an extreme temperature range. A modem has been
purchased for direct interrogation of the master station from a computer
station in the Albany, New York, laboratory. A new test series began in
June 1976 using the FCC-approved Paul.Smith's College master station and one
remote station on nearby Upper Saranac Lake. Not only lake and stream levels
but also productivity-related lake parameters will be measured, with future
emphasis on developing more reliable sensors. Installation of a repeater
station at one of several suitable locations would permit telemetry of valu-
able research and monitoring data at a modest cost from much of New York's
Adirondack lake district.
106
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TECHNICAL REPORT DATA
(Please read Instructions on the reverse before completing)
REPORT NO.
EPA-600/3-77-021
3. RECIPIENT'S ACCESSION>NO.
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
RESTORATION OF LOWER ST. REGIS LAKE
(FRANKLIN COUNTY, NEW YORK)
5. REPORT DATE
February 1977
6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE
7. AUTHOR(S)
G. W. Fuhs, S.P. Allen, L.J. Hetling and T.J. Tofflemire
8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NO.
9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS
N. Y. State Dept. of Health, Environmental Health Center
New Scotland Avenue, Albany, N. Y., 12201
N.Y. State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Envir.
Quality Res. Unit. 50 Hblf Rd.. Albany, N.Y., 12233
10. PROGRAM ELEMENT NO.
1BA031
11. CONTRACT/GRANT NO.
EPA R-801529
12. SPONSORING AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS
Environmental Research Laboratory - Corvallis
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
13. TYPE OF REPORT AND PERIOD COVERED
Final 5/9/72 - 10/31/75
14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE
EPA/600/02
15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
16. ABSTRACT
Lower St. Regis Lake, the lowest of a chain of three lakes in Franklin
County, Adirondack Region, New York, was subject to severe eutrophication,
as indicated by summer-long intense blue-green algal blooms caused by phosphate
discharges from a point-source contributing approximately 0.8 g P/^q m x yr).
Sewage from the point-source had been subject to an extended aeration-activated
sludge treatment. Ferric chloride was added and ferric phosphate sludge was
removed from the basin from July to December 1972, from March to November 1973,
and in April 1974. In May 1974 year-round diversion of the effluent to a sand
bed 250 meters from the lake was begun. During the summers of 1973 and 1974
there was washout of phosphate from the lake system, and the summer bloom was
delayed. In 1975 the usual spring bloom of flagellates and diatoms did not
occur, and the summer bloom was further reduced in duration and intensity. The
recovery of the lake is thus very much in evidence. The high iron content of
the lake, among several other factors, appears to be speeding the recovery; a
delaying influence is being exerted by the continued hypolimnic oxygen de-
pletion, however, presumably from methane formed in the sediments.
17.
KEY WORDS AND DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
DESCRIPTORS
b.lDENTIFIERS/OPEN ENDED TERMS
c. COSATI Field/Group
Lakes ft
Limnology
Phosphorus
Algae
Aquatic Biology ft
Eutrophication A
Nutrient Removal
Trophic Level
02H
04A
05C
07B
(* denotes major descriptors)
18. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT
RELEASE UNLIMITED
19. SECURITY CLASS (ThisReport)
UNCLASSIFIED
21. NO. OF PAGES
117
20. SECURITY CLASS (Thispage)
UNCLASSIFIED
22. PRICE
EPA Form 2220-1 (9-73)
107
ft U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1977-797.147/66 REGION 10
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