Putting Your Data to Work! Using Long-Term Volunteer Data to Establish Water Quality Trends

Abstract

Craine Lake is a 26-acre lake located in Madison County, New York. The Craine Lake Association has been a consistent participant in the Citizen Statewide Lake Assessment Program (CSLAP) and is entering its 35thyear of participation. This long-term dataset allows us to analyze trends and investigate how water quality parameters may relate to stakeholder concerns such as harmful algal blooms, sedimentation, and nuisance levels of aquatic plants. The lake has a long history of summertime blue-green algae and was used as one of the first lakes in the NYSDEC harmful algal bloom reporting program. The eventual management plan for the lake aims to utilize the long-term dataset along with our own lake profiling and mapping to inform future management strategies.