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Indian River Lakes Shoreline and Lake HealthHow Are They Connected?
Scott Kishbaugh, P.E.
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Albany, NY
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Lake Name
Black Lake
Boyd Pond
Butterfield Lake
Clear Lake
Crystal Lake
Grass Lake
Hickory Lake
Hyde Lake
Lake of the Woods
Millsite Lake
Moon Lake
Mud Lake
Muskellunge Lake
Payne Lake
Pleasant Lake
Red Lake
Sixberry Lake
Yellow Lake
Size
(ha)
3380
407
65
34
130
205
75
67
205
88
91
117
62
52
145
52
148
W'shed
Max
% Urban % Forest
(mi2) Depth (m) Wshed Wshed
560
<1
17
2
1
3
3
2
1
4
2
5
4
1
1
3
1
4
4.9
?
14.5
13.7
13.7
15.4
?
6.0
24.0
24.0
5.2
4.6
?
4.9
10.7
14.5
29.4
3.0
0.67
0.00
0.66
0.02
0.12
0.01
0.15
0.48
0.03
0.40
0.10
0.90
0.08
0.04
0.12
0.04
0.17
0.03
60.7
56.6
61.6
62.0
51.6
67.6
45.3
66.3
61.7
66.6
58.7
55.4
74.5
58.7
59.5
73.2
74.3
68.3
Avg Basin
Slope
(ft/mi)
282
460
410
152
179
391
103
207
410
530
537
163
618
823
305
454
285
545
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Lake Name
CSLAP
Black Lake
yes
Boyd Pond
2014
Butterfield Lake
yes
Clear Lake
no
Crystal Lake
no
Grass Lake
yes
Hickory Lake
no
Hyde Lake
yes
Lake of the Woods previous
Millsite Lake
yes
Moon Lake
previous
Mud Lake
no
Muskellunge Lake
no
Payne Lake
no
Pleasant Lake
no
Red Lake
no
Sixberry Lake
previous
Yellow Lake
no
Public
Launch?
yes
no
yes
no
no
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
yes
no
no
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
Invasives?
Myriophyllum spicatum, Zebra mussels
Myriophyllum spicatum
European frogbit?
Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum, Potamogeton crispus
Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum?
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Lake Name
TP
Zsd
Chl.a
Trophic
Black Lake
Boyd Pond
Butterfield Lake
Clear Lake
Crystal Lake
Grass Lake
Hickory Lake
Hyde Lake
Lake of the Woods
Millsite Lake
Moon Lake
Mud Lake
Muskellunge Lake
Payne Lake
Pleasant Lake
Red Lake
Sixberry Lake
Yellow Lake
0.04
0.018
0.017
1.5
2
2.7
26
11
0.016
3.7
3
0.02
0.006
0.008
0.027
2.1
6.4
6.9
1.7
14
1
2
21
0.022
1.5
8
0.017
0.005
0.025
3.6
6
1.6
1
Eutrophic
Mesotrophic
Mesotrophic
?
?
Mesotrophic
?
Eutrophic
Oligotrophic
Oligotrophic
Eutrophic
?
?
Eutrophic
?
Mesotrophic
Oligotrophic
Eutrophic
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
The Ideal Lake?
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Thinking About Your Lake
• Some elements of “your” ideal
lake cannot be achieved
– Can’t make mountain vistas
– Can’t deepen a lake (much)
– Can’t push everyone out
What do I
want for
my lake?
• Need to focus on what you can
control
– Weeds
– Algae
– Lake conflicts / “people”
problems
– Shoreline/watershed overcrowding
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Questions about your lake
• What uses do you want to support?
–
–
–
–
Swimming?
Boating (non-power?... Power?)
Angling/fishing
Passive uses- picnicking, wildlife
viewing,…
• Are these uses presently supported?
• How are they connected to
shoreline health?
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Benefits of Lakeshore Modification
(Forest and Wetlands to Lawns and Modified Shorelines)
• Improved lake access
• Improved view of lake
from lake property
• Enhanced recreational use
of property
• Potential reduction in
shoreline erosion?
• Dissipate wave energy
• Improved property value?
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Value of riparian and littoral habitat and undisturbed
shorelines
• Multi-layered riparian and littoral
habitat components are important to:
– fostering native plant, fish, macroinvert
and avian assemblage diversity
– providing refuge from predation via
structure and shading
– living and egg-laying substrates
– food
• Shoreline structure and fish
concealment features affect:
– nutrient cycling
– littoral production
– runoff and sedimentation rates
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Shoreline development and AIS
• Invasive species are
opportunists that thrive in
disturbed environments
–
–
–
–
Change in sediment type
Turbid water
“Scarified” seeds
Plant fragments from wave
action along shore
– AIS species are first invaders
when native plants removed
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Eurasian Watermilfoil
(Myriophyllum spicatum)
Origin:
Intro to US:
Intro to NYS:
Eurasia
1940?
1940s
Plant Type:
Submerged
Leaf Type:
Submersed:
Floating:
Leaf Arrangement:
Leaf Shape:
Leaf Margin:
Pinnate
None (Spike)
Whorled
Thread
Smooth
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Curly-Leafed Pondweed
(Potamogeton crispus)
Origin:
Intro to US:
Intro to NYS:
Plant Type:
Leaf Variation:
Submersed:
Floating:
Leaf Arrangement:
Leaf Shape:
Leaf Margin:
Eurasia
early 1880s
1890s?
Submerged
Ribbon
None (Spike)
Alternating
Oblong,
Rounded Tip
Serratedof Environmental Conservation
NYS Department
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
European Frog-Bit
(Hydrocharis morsus-ranae)
Origin:
Intro to US:
Intro to NYS:
Europe to Canada
1930s?
1970? (1982)
Plant Type:
Floating
Leaf Type:
Submersed:
Floating:
Leaf Arrangement:
Leaf Shape:
Leaf Margin:
None
Ovate
Basal
Heart
Smooth
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Water Chestnut
(Trapa natans)
Origin:
Intro to US:
Intro to NYS:
Eurasia
1874
1882
Plant Type:
Floating
Leaf Type:
Submersed:
Floating:
Leaf Arrangement:
Leaf Shape:
Leaf Margin:
Pinnate
Palmate
Whorled, Rosetta
Triangle
Serrated
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Zebra Mussel
• Filter-feeding freshwater bivalve
mollusk
• ¼” to 1 ½“ long
• D-shaped with light and dark
brown stripes
• Attach to sand, silt, and harder
substrates with byssal threads
• Displace native species
• Sharp shells
• Nuisance to humans
• Affect clarity, content, and
ultimately the food chain of aquatic
ecosystems
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Shoreline Development and HABs
Excessive algae results from excessive nutrients
– Shoreline buffers (shrubs, trees, grasses,…) filter nutrients
before they enter lakes
– Poorly functioning septic systems introduce nutrients into
the water
• Saturated leach fields
• Reduced bacterial breakdown within septic tank
• Insufficient capacity
– Excessive shoreline development means:
•
•
•
•
More homes and septics
Less space for leach fields
More pressure on septic systems
Less shading and higher water temperatures
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Breaking it down- “Harmful Algal Bloom”
• “Harmful”- cyanobacteria liver, nerve and dermal toxins affect
drinking water, contact recreation, pets, wildlife, irrigation, food
• “Algal”- freshwater HABs associated with cyanobacteria (not “algae”)
• “Bloom” - overabundance of algae- cyanobacteria found in nearly all
lakes, but bloom requires dense concentrations
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
25
Cyanobacterial Toxins
• Numerous structural variants with different toxicities
• Toxins contained within cells but are released to water
upon lysis or as population ages.
• Not all strains of potentially toxic species produce
toxins
• Toxin production varies and “ON/OFF” mechanisms
are not well understood
– Environmental (light, heat, nutrient levels/ratios)
– Ecological (predation, competition, selection, and community
structure)
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
26
• Microcystins
The Main Toxins
– Impacts liver
– from Microsystis, Anabaena, Oscillatoria..
– Most common
• Anatoxins (-a & -a(S))
–
–
–
–
Impacts nerves
Anabaena, Oscillatoria, Aphanizomenon
Second most common
Common dog killer (including NYS)
• Lipopolysacharides (endotoxins)
– Skin irritant and allergen
– Numerous species
• Others (Cylindrospermopsin,
Saxitonins, Nodularin, Lyngbytoxin,
BMAA, etc.)
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
27
How toxins cause illness
“the overly simplified version”
“Consuming Water”
• Drinking/Swallowing
• Inhaling water droplets
General contact with
body via sitting on shore,
fishing, boating, wading,
swimming, waterskiing, etc.
• Potential Symptoms:
•Potential symptoms: Haystomach upset/pain, vomit,
fever, headache, itchy skin,
diarrhea, yellowed skin or eyes,
irritation of eyes/ears/nose, rash,
loss of energy or appetite,
elevated allergic response
stumbling, tremors, and seizure
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Black Lake
2013
Butterfield Lake
Grass Lake
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
So are there any new studies showing
impacts from shoreline development?
• 2007 National Lake Assessment
evaluated 909 lakes throughout the
country, including 12 NYS lakes
• Wide variety of chemical and
biological indicators evaluated
• Littoral /riparian physical habitat
measurements in a randomized array
of 10 littoral plots (10m x 15m) with
adjoining riparian plots (15m x 15m)
systematically spaced along the
shoreline of each sample lake.
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
NLA biological monitoring
And what did they find?
Findings revisited…..
Lake Physical Habitat
“Of the stressors included in the NLA, poor
lakeshore habitat is the biggest problem in the
nation’s lakes; over one-third exhibit poor
shoreline habitat condition.”
“Poor biological health is three times
more likely in lakes with poor
lakeshore habitat”
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
More findings revisited
• Human alteration of the lakeshore itself can range
from minor changes (removal of trees, develop a
picnic area) to major alterations (construction of a
large lakeshore residential complex complete with
concrete retaining walls and artificial beaches).
• The effects of lakeshore development on the quality
of lakes include
–
–
–
–
–
excess sedimentation
loss of native plant growth
alteration of native plant communities
loss of habitat structure,
modifications to substrate types
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Susceptible….(in Indian River Lakes system)
• Lakes with poorly functioning septics
– Algae blooms, including cyanobacterial blooms
• Lakes with poor shoreline protection
– Invasive species, particularly aquatic plants
– Overabundance of natives, including lilies
• Lakes with altered physical habitat
– Poor conditions for fish and invertebrates
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
EPA 10 Tips for Natural Lakeshores
•
•
•
•
•
Natural lakeshores protect fish and wildlife habitat
Shoreline trees protect lake water quality
Natural lakeshores keep out polluted runoff
Native plants help lake wildlife
Plant a rain garden, help your lake
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
EPA 10 Tips for Natural Lakeshores
• Natural lakeshores help prevent erosion
• "Perfect" lawns are not perfect for your lake - try
natural landscaping
• Lighten up on lawn chemicals, for your lake's sake
• Natural lakeshores are picture perfect
• Get involved! Protect your lake's natural shoreline
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation