Lake sampling project helps detect brewing algal bloom
On a Monday morning in July, Zoe Fry and Rory Pate rowed along the perimeter of Lake Padden for a routine check-up, observing the water from their canoe-clinic to detect any signs of sickness that was occurring or in the making.
Not seeing any mats of dotted, stringy or paint-like goo floating on the surface — typical symptoms of an algal bloom — nor any electronic waste oozing chemicals, the two headed toward the center of the lake, looking for the deepest point where they would set their anchor and collect some data from the water column.
This work is part of the Freshwater Lake Monitoring program, a collaboration between Bellingham-based nonprofit RE Sources, Western Washington University’s Institute for Watershed Studies, and Whatcom County Health and Human Services.