Lake Data & Trends

Secchi depth is the easiest number to picture: it’s how deep a volunteer can lower a white disk into the lake before it disappears from view. The deeper it can go, the clearer the water. Deeper readings mean more sunlight reaches the lake bottom — good news for native plants, fish, and swimmers. With the 2025 season as our first entry, this chart is our starting line: it’s the baseline every future season will be compared against.

Phosphorus is the nutrient that can tip a clear lake toward murky. Tiny amounts arrive naturally from the surrounding soil, but most of the excess comes from fertilizer, lawn clippings, and storm runoff washing in after rain. When it builds up, it feeds algae — and that’s where water quality starts to slip. Lower is better. Once we have a few seasons on this chart, it will show whether phosphorus is creeping up, holding steady, or coming down.

Chlorophyll-a is the green pigment inside algae, so measuring it is the standard quick check for how much algae is actually in the water. Readings can swing noticeably after a hot stretch or a heavy rain, even within a single season, so low and steady is the goal. The 2025 points are our first look at both lakes — a second season is what turns these single points into a real trend line.