Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program

Michigan's unique geographical location provides its citizens with a wealth of freshwater resources including over 11,000 inland lakes. In addition to being valuable ecological resources, lakes provide tremendous aesthetic and recreational value for the people of Michigan.

As more and more people use the lakes and surrounding watersheds, the potential for pollution problems and use impairment increases dramatically. Reliable information, including water quality data, levels of use, and use impairment, are essential for determining the health of a lake and for developing a management plan to protect the lake. As the users and primary beneficiaries of Michigan's lake resources, citizens must take an active role in obtaining this information and managing their lakes.

The Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) is a partnership between the Land and Water Management Division of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Michigan Lake and Stream Associations, Inc. (ML&SA). The primary purpose of this cooperative program is to help citizen volunteers monitor indicators of water quality in their lake and document changes in lake quality over time.

Lake quality is influenced by many factors such as the amount of recreational use it receives, shoreline development, watershed runoff, and water quality. Lake water quality is a general term covering many aspects of lake chemistry and biology. The health of a lake is determined by its water quality.

Problems most commonly cited by lake residents, such as excessive plant growth, algal blooms, and mucky bottom sediments, are caused by water quality factors that lead to increased lake fertility or productivity. Productivity refers to the amount of plant and animal life that can be produced within the lake. Excessive productivity can significantly shorten the life of the lake.

The gradual increase of lake productivity over time is a natural process called eutrophication, or lake aging. A primary objective of most lake management plans is to slow down eutrophication by reducing the input of plant nutrients, such as phosphorus, and sediments to the lakes.

Lake scientists have developed a variety of numerical indexes based on water quality data to express lake productivity on a continuous numerical scale. The widely used Carlson Trophic State Index (TSI) incorporates water clarity, or transparency, as measured by a Secchi disk; the algal plant pigment chlorophyll a; and total phosphorus as indicators of lake productivity. The CLMP was designed to provide data on these parameters.

The CLMP provides sampling methods, training, workshops, technical support, quality control, and laboratory assistance for volunteers to monitor their lake for these indicators of lake productivity. Volunteers may then classify their lake according to its level of productivity, or trophic state, using Carlson's TSI. Long-term monitoring of these parameters on a consistent and regular basis provides the data needed to recognize changes or trends in lake productivity. Take an active role in protecting your lake. Join us in determining the health of your lake. 

HISTORY

Michigan has maintained a Self-Help volunteer lake monitoring program since 1974. The original program was designed for lake property owners to monitor water quality by measuring water clarity and the plant pigment chlorophyll a as an indicator of algal productivity. Since 1983, only the Secchi disk transparency element continues to be supported under the basic Self-Help program. This program has grown from 46 lakes participating in 1974 to an annual participation of approximately 150 lakes.

A new beginning for the Self-Help program occurred in 1992 when the former Department of Natural Resources (DNR) entered into a cooperative agreement with the Michigan Lake and Stream Associations (ML&SA) to expand the basic program. Under this agreement, the ML&SA assumed responsibility for administration of the program while the former DNR continued to provide technical support.

The ML&SA, organized in 1961, is a non-profit organization comprised of individuals and associations who desire to conserve and improve Michigan's inland lakes and streams and the Great Lakes. This organization promotes the protection and wise use of Michigan's water resources. Over 300 hundred of lake associations throughout Michigan are members of the ML&SA.

An advanced Self-Help program was initiated in 1993 which included a monitoring component for the plant nutrient phosphorus. Citizen volunteers are responsible for Collecting water samples from their lakes during the spring season and the DEQ's Environmental Laboratory provides the analytical support for the chemical analyses.

In 1997, the program was expanded to included Summer Phosphorus, and in 1998 a sampling program to measurer Chlorophyll-a was begun. Dissolved Oxygen was introduced in 2000 as a pilot program . 

CLMP Goals

CLMP Lake Quality Tests

COOPERATIVE LAKE MONITORING PROGRAM  

  ..........   2008

A cooperative monitoring program between lake associations, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Michigan Lake and Stream Associations, Inc.  

Click Here-- to Obtain a CLMP Brochure

Training: 

Training for the Year 2008 CLMP water quality tests will be held at the MLSA's 47th annual conference to be held in April 2008 in Grayling, MI..

 Registration Information

Michigan has 11,000 lakes larger than 5 acres.  At this time, most of these water resources have no available water quality data to guide management.  This condition exists despite the fact that many of Michigan’s lakes are excellent to above average quality and have substantial economic and recreational value. As development and use demands increase, lakes will be increasingly susceptible to overuse and environmental degradation.  Rehabilitation of these resources will be significantly more difficult and costly if protective management is not practiced today and in the future.  As a consequence, there is a significant need to collect water quality data on Michigan's inland lakes.

To meet this need, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Michigan Lake and Stream Associations, Inc. (ML&SA) have partnered to implement the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP).  The purpose of this effort is to help citizen volunteers monitor the water quality in their lake and document changes.  The CLMP provides sampling methods, training, workshops, technical support, quality control, and laboratory analysis to the volunteer samplers.  The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), a new statewide initiative created by Michigan's Governor Granholm, now assists the MDEQ with collecting and sharing water quality data for water resource management and protection at the state and local levels.  This initiative was created to more fully realize the potential for volunteers to conduct water quality monitoring.

All of the CLMP partners and volunteer samplers are committed to a quality program that produces quality data.  There is a motto that says, "bad data is worse than no data".  Therefore any new lake communities or volunteer samplers joining the CLMP program need to commit to taking the necessary training and performing all sampling activities exactly as outlined in the monitoring procedures.  Additionally, each volunteer sampler must demonstrate that they can collect consistent quality data before they can participate in the more complicated monitoring projects.  Consequently, first year lake communities and volunteer samplers may only register for the Secchi disk transparency, spring total phosphorus and summer total phosphorus monitoring projects.  After the lake samplers have demonstrated a proficiency in these projects, they may register for chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen/temperature and pilot projects in following years.    To assure quality data, new monitoring projects, such as fish age and growth and aquatic plant identification, are field tested in limited pilot efforts before being incorporated into the regular program.   Lake communities participating in these pilots need to make an extra commitment to assure an effective evaluation.  If the pilot projects demonstrate that quality data can be collected, the testing  may be expanded to full monitoring projects the following year.

The 2008 program will include volunteer monitoring  for Secchi disk transparency, spring total phosphorus, summer total phosphorus, chlorophyll, oxygen/temperature, and aquatic plant mapping.   Except for Secchi disk transparency, all programs have a limited enrollment because of available equipment and/or laboratory capacity. 

Beginning with the Year 2008 CLMP Program, registration can be done online by going to the MiCorp Web Site.  The MiCorp Web Site also has a link to obtain forms that can be copied for mailing.

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