Lake Wawasee is the largest glacial lake in Indiana with an area of 3,060 acres (1,238 hectares) and a watershed of 24,498 acres (9,914 hectares). The watershed is predominantly residential and agriculture. Like other glacial lakes in Indiana, excess Nitrogen and Phosphorus and suspended sediment are the most prevalent nonpoint source pollutants entering the lake. It is well known these pollutants result in lake hypoxia, algal blooms, sedimentation, and altered lake biota. These patterns of poor water quality in glacial lakes may result in lower property values and/or limited recreational opportunities. While there is a large body of literature relevant to lake trophic status through traditional limnology research, data that quantifies nutrient and sediment loads entering the lake by sub-watershed is lacking. The Wawasee Inlet Nutrient Study (WINS) is a novel experimental design, started 1 January 2019, with a gage station located at each of the four major tributaries and the outflow of the lake. Each station is equipped with an automatic water sampler, pressure transducer, data logger, rain gauge, and temperature probes. Six samples are collected daily April-June and weekly grab samples are collected July-March (N = 580 per gage station/year). A stream discharge rating curve is being calculated for each site and a biological assessment will be calculated once each year. This data rich approach provides Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation to target priority restoration/conservation areas, open opportunities for dialogue and partnerships, and evaluate the efficacy of conservation initiatives. Early provisional data suggests Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and sediment exceeds ecological target values.
Our speaker will be Dr. Jerry Sweeten. Jerry Sweeten Directed the Asherwood Environmental Science Center in Wabash County for 25 years before completing his Ph.D. at Purdue University under the direction of Anne Spacie. His work included an examination of the effect of suspended sediment on the early life stages of sight-feeding fishes and research on an early watershed project (Indian-Pine Watershed Research Initiative) focused on nutrient and sediment from agricultural watersheds. In 2004 Jerry took a teaching position at Manchester College where he Directed the Environmental Studies Program. While at Manchester, students were involved with multiple watershed projects in the Eel River basin. Over a ten year period, four low-head dams were removed from the Eel River (over 1,100 stream miles reconnected), reintroduction of an endangered freshwater mussel species, research on redside dace, construction of a two-stage ditch, and multiple 319 projects focused on reducing nutrient and sediment loads in the Eel River. Professor Sweeten retired from Manchester College in 2018, and along with his wife, Melinda, and Herb Manifold started Ecosystems Connections Institute (ECI). Ecosystems Connections Institute Mission: To provide professional environmental consulting and research services where education, research, demonstration, and ecological restoration merge through conservation partnerships.
