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Water Quality Testing
Water quality has been consistently ranked as the top priority by respondents to several MLA surveys and studies. As a result, water quality initiatives figure prominently in the list of Action Items included in the MLA Lake Plan launched in 2015 and updated in 2021.
Water quality information on Mississippi Lake has been gathered under a variety of programs since 1968. When Water Rangers was established in 2016 by a group of dedicated volunteers to map water quality conditions and issues throughout eastern Ontario, the MLA eagerly joined the effort.
Read below to learn what we test and how we do it
Testing Parameters
Water sampling includes measurement of:
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total phosphorus, since elevated phosphorus concentrations are a major factor in promoting plant growth and algae blooms;
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water clarity, which is primarily affected by the amount of suspended algae, using a Secchi Disc; and
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and the concentration of active chlorophyll (chlorophyll A), as a measure of the amount of photosynthesizing plants (algae and phytoplankton) in the water.
Other water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature are also measured, although these are not addressed in as much detail in the annual State of the Lake reports. Together, these parameters are used to examine the trophic status of the lake (the amount of biomass present in the lake). Please consult this table which defines the three basic categories: Oligotropic, Mesotropic, and Eutropic.
Mississippi Lake, being shallow and having a broad surface area, is subject to excessive aquatic vegetation and algae growth and was considered to be eutrophic in the late 1960’s through much of the 1970’s. However, it is reassuring to note that dissolved oxygen measurements have and continue to show life-supporting oxygen concentrations throughout the water profile.
Water Rangers Program
Water Rangers has developed a variety of test kits to permit individuals to practice "citizen science" by contributing to the ever increasing database for Lake Mississippi. The MLA has puchased 12 of these kits and makes them available to willing volunteers on an annual basis during the period that the lake is ice free. Over the Winter, the MLA collects the kits, replenishes the testing chemicals and equipment, and readies the kits for re-issue the following Spring.
Volunteers conduct testing on their own time when most convenient to them, and enter the results in the Water Rangers database via their web portal. The mapping is coordinated with Citizen Water Watch, a mobile reporting system. It's easy, it's fun, and it provides valuable input for monitoring water quality.
Water Rangers test kit
Want to see all the water quality information that has been compiled for locations on Mississippi Lake? Simply go to the Mississippi Lake Map and browse to your heart's content! Each location has a list of all the observations that have been logged, along with trends in the various parameters. Occurrences such as blue-green algae also appear on the map, along with photographs and atmospheric conditions.
State of the Lake Reports (SOLR)
The water quality information for Mississippi Lake is summarized in annual State of the Lake Reports, available below and presented at AGMs.
State of the Lake Reports (SOLR): W5 and 2014 2015 2016 and 2017 2018 2023 2024
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