Water Quality
Here is information about water quality around the lake.
Fertilizer Management
Applications of lawn fertilizers and other lawn chemicals may directly run into the lake when it rains. Before conducting any fertilizer applications take a soil sample and determine what nutrients are necessary for a healthy growing lawn. These services are often offered at low or no cost through the local soil and conservation service or agricultural extension. Many companies are now offering phosphorus free fertilizers that are becoming ever popular in lake communities. To tell if the fertilizer you are using is phosphorus free, look at the N-P-K ratio, this tells you how much nitrogen – phosphorus – potassium is
Impervious Area and Stormwater Management
Increases in impervious areas, such as driveways and roofs, serves to alter the way water flows in a watershed. Increased impervious areas in a watershed reduce percolation while increasing the speed of the water entering the lake thereby increasing its potential for erosion. This basically translates to increased nutrient transport to the lake and such conditions have caused the decline of numerous waterbodies throughout the region and the country. Some basic things the community can do to combat these conditions is to limit future development of impervious areas and capture the rainwater that is running off current parcels of impervious
Salt Management
The basic principal behind salt management is the same as fertilizer management. Any salt applied to asphalt for ice control will be transported to the lake once the snow melts. Increasing lake salinity will then result along with changes to the ecosystem. Reduce the amount of salt that is used or utilize alternative agents such as cindering.
Shoreline Buffers
Establishment or maintenance of an area of native plants and grasses in an approximately 100 foot buffer along the lake shore can enhance nutrient filtering all while increasing vital habitat for the lakes inhabitants. Creating such a buffer can help to intercept sediment and phosphorus before it flows into the lake thereby helping to reduce nutrient pollution. Furthermore, this shoreline habitat is crucial in a properly functioning aquatic ecosystem.
Water Quality: Algae and Weed Control
The Association employs a limnologist (a specialist in lake ecology) to monitor the health of the lake. Monitoring includes annual checks of the lake’s ecological balance, together with tests of its water with regard to acidity, oxygen, organic matter, and trace elements. This information is used by the Association’s Lake Committee in its recommendations for maintaining the health of the Lake. Like all lakes, natural or man-made, Lake Sagamore is constantly under pressure from physical and biological processes. There are many things Association members can do to prevent or minimize undesirable changes. (For more about the water quality of Lake