Lake Water Quality

ozski

Who gets their lake water tested, how often if ever? Or do people just ski and assume its ok? Chatting to an ex pro skier about this who got really sick years ago after competing on a pretty suspect site, skin sores, rashes and weight loss. Recovery was long and slow..

The_MS

Lots of goose poop can cause swimmers itch and other issues

S1Pitts

Yes we had a ski lake 10 yrs ago that we tested. Barely passed but never really had health issues from it.
Also moved from a community back in the late nineties because the water in the lake made me very ill every time I skied. The algae in this lake was the culprit. Next closest lake was several hrs away so goodbye.

lpskier

The Pro Tour had a stop in Syracuse, NY on a lake badly polluted by Hooker Chemical. “No Swimming” signs were posted everywhere. The conditions were so bad though that no one was really out in the water for long.

MattP

@lpskier Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens comes to mind as well. Pro Tour stop back in 2005. Heard that place was nasty.

DW

@ozski - we do bi-annual water testing, part of the water quality, invasive species & weed control program. We also monitor clarity over the season to add to the state database.

75Tique

@lpskier John. I was not paying super close attention back then, but it must have been in the 90s as I lived in the area at the time and remember the concerns about that tour stop and the water quality. Onondaga lake is a cesspool, with old industries and the county WWTP along the southern and western shores. I currently live on a small, neighborhood lake that has some public beaches. Three times a year, before major holidays, we test the water near the beaches for e. coli. Usually fine. Lots of geese around, plus septic systems surround lake, but must be designed right as rarely any excursions.

teammalibu

I’m sure @Chad_Scott could write a book about the issues at the Malibu Open site in Milwaukee!

Chad_Scott

@teammalibu no doubt about that. I wish someone would clear up those water issues in Milwaukee. Was such a great venue for the Malibu Open. Tons of support from the local ski community year after year.

bojans

Where does one go to get water tested?

MISkier

County Health Department should be able to do it. Or, State Health Department - if an office is nearby.

buoyboy1

I test my lake water every few years and use a small company that is close by. "Google around" and find a private company. Personally, I would stay away from a local gov't agency in case the tests come back and the water is suspect. They might try to over-reach and make you jump through too many hoops to get it corrected. I only test for Nitrates and Fecal Coliform. Each sample cost less than $50.

BraceMaker

@Chad_Scott - that'd be abundantly easy to pull off its so close to the lake. Up the lake from the lagoon is a coffee shop in the old Milwaukee river flushing station - the river was so polluted that they started pumping water from the lake to the river.

They could flush the lagoon for not much work and make it swimmable/skiable.

The_MS

Or just add about 100 lbs of copper sulfate a few weeks prior to the event

Chad_Scott

they have not made that offer. @The_MS almost did that the night before the thing got cancelled on us. They were not really supportive of that solution

Milford

We have used a company named SePro out of North Carolina. They have been great to work with and have many options to accommodate different issues. We have also used a local company to do annual baseline testing for things like Phosphorus, Nitrate/Nitrite, Calcium, PH, Sulfate, Coliform and EColi. Attached is SePro's lab pricing chart to give you an idea of what is available. We used the Algae ID service for $97 and got a full report of what algae is in our lake along with options to fix. Very helpful in putting together a plan and establishing a budget for a long term mitigation strategy.