Water Quality and Hydrology of Whitefish (Bardon) Lake, Douglas County, Wisconsin, With Special Emphasis on Responses of an Oligotrophic Seepage Lake to Changes in Phosphorus Loading and Water Level

Abstract

Cover photos showing changes in the water level in Whitefish Lake. (All photos by Dale M. Robertson.) Upper left-High water near the south shore of Whitefish Lake, August 2004.

Hydrology and water quality of Shell Lake, Washburn County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of diversion and changes in water level on the water quality of a shallow terminal lake

“…These recharge and hydraulic conductivity values are similar to values used in previous GFLOW models developed in nearby areas (Juckem and Hunt, 2007;Juckem and Hunt, 2008;Juckem, 2009;Robertson, Rose, and Juckem, 2009;Hunt and others, 2010). While the GFLOW model was used only as a screening model to test the conceptual model and provide hydraulic boundaries, the model simulated heads and flows reasonably close to measured values.…”

“…These models were developed on the basis of comparisons between hydrologic and phosphorus loading determined for many different lake systems and specific measures describing their water quality, such as near-surface phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations and Secchi depth (Vollenweider, 1975;Canfield and Bachmann, 1981;Reckhow and Chapra, 1983;Cooke and others, 1993;Panuska and Kreider, 2003). One empirical model that has been shown to be good at predicting phosphorus concentrations in lakes of Wisconsin is the Canfield and Bachman (1981) natural-lake model others, 2002, 2005;Robertson and Rose, 2008;Robertson, Rose, and Juckem, 2009;Robertson, Rose, and Fitzpatrick, 2009;Robertson and others, 2012). Therefore, the Canfield and Bachman natural-lake model (1981; eq.…”

“…Input from wetfall was determined by using phosphorus concentrations measured in rain and snow. Input from dryfall (dry particles from the atmosphere) was estimated from measured rates of dry deposition at a weather station previously operated at Whitefish Lake in Douglas County, Wis. (Robertson, Rose, and Juckem, 2009). Total annual wetfall was computed by multiplying the average estimated phosphorus concentration of 0.016 mg/L by the total annual precipitation (from Spooner, Wis.) on the lake.…”

Water quality, hydrology, and simulated response to changes in phosphorus loading of Mercer Lake, Iron County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of wastewater discharges

“…Atmospheric deposition of phosphorus on Mercer Lake was determined from phosphorus concentrations measured in wetfall (rain and snow) and phosphorus-deposition rates measured in dryfall (dry particles from the atmosphere) at a weather station previously operated at Whitefish Lake in Douglas County, Wis. (Robertson, Rose, and Juckem, 2009). Total monthly wetfall deposition was computed by multiplying the average estimated phosphorus concentration of 0.016 mg/L by the monthly precipitation on the lake.…”

“…These models were developed on the basis of comparisons between hydrologic and phosphorus loading determined for many different lake systems and specific measures describing lake water quality, such as near-surface phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations, and Secchi depth (Vollenweider, 1975;Canfield and Bachmann, 1981;Reckhow and Chapra, 1983;Cooke and others, 1993;Panuska and Kreider, 2003). One empirical model that has been shown to be good at predicting phosphorus concentrations of lakes in Wisconsin is the Canfield and Bachman (1981) natural-lake model others, 2002, 2005;Robertson, Rose, and Juckem, 2009;Robertson, Rose, and Fitzpatrick, 2009;Robertson and Rose, 2008). Therefore, the Canfield and Bachman natural-lake model (1981; equation 6) was applied to Mercer Lake to determine how changes in phosphorus loading should affect phosphorus concentrations in the lake:…”