We took our first 2009 water samples Friday, May 1, at about 11 am. The results were excellent

#1 Dock <2 cfu
#2 Cedar Fork Creek 5 cfu
#3 Booker Creek < 2 cfu

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

Lake water temp: 22 C 72-73F

The SECCI clarity reading was 23 inches on Friday, about average for this time of year.

There was 1/8 inch of water in the rain gauge at 10 am on Monday, May 4.

The health department requires we test the water if we allow recreational use. We know in the same detail what is known about the water at inland beaches and campgrounds at state parks. Our tests have been generally excellent in recent years. Use common sense about this, there is a lot we don’t test for. The lake is an active ecosystem, not all of which is beneficial to humans.

Our usual testing schedule is Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, with earlier and later testing if weather and lake usage merit. 73 degrees is not comfortable, but the water near the shore can warm up in a couple of hours on a sunny day and there have been swimmers in the lake for about 3 weeks. On the morning of the test a mother and her daughter were in the water and my preschool grandson wanted to join them. I’m thinking I will adjust the schedule this year to even out the intervals: the next two tests will be the first weeks of June and July.

It has been a couple of years since I had an unrelated assistant for the water sampling. I’d like to make sure I’m not the only one here that remembers the protocol for these tests. It is not difficult. At one time it was approved for Service Learning Hours at ECHHS (about 3 hours per test). That will need to get revisited, the guidelines may have changed.

Our watershed is nearby, but mostly not in Lake Forest. Eastwood Lake is manmade and will require perpetual maintenance. White Lake is the only natural lake in North Carolina. Development in the watershed can make the ground less permeable, meaning that instead of filtering through the soil, rainwater will run farther and faster, carrying with it both the soil itself (silt) and whatever is on the ground (nutrients, toxins).

Carolina North is in our watershed, we need to remain vigiant. Some silt is inevitable, and that is why we have forebays and a standpipe drain. The concern is any increase in the normal rate of “eutrophication” may be the consequence of development. There are strict guidelines about this but it is hard to enforce them. The first line of defense is knowledge of where and when erosion occurs. Bright yellow mud in the water is one warning sign.

Chuck Henage
chenagemht@aol.com