By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch President
Appeared in Lake Magazine, January 2021 Edition

Lake Watch monitors could be the first line of defense

On Lake Martin, we like to think that we are ahead of the curve. We have the only Treasured Lake in Alabama, and our water is being tested regularly and watched over by Lake Watch of Lake Martin. But we cannot become complacent. This is what we don’t want to happen:

In an August 2015 article from the Burlington Free Press, Glenn Russell reported toxic conditions on the Vermont area’s Lake Champlain.

“Phosphorus runoff from farms, roads and urban areas has fueled toxic algae blooms in the lake, forcing the closure of some beaches and decreasing some lakeside property values. The EPA has mandated that Vermont clean up the lake ... We’re spending millions in this bureaucratic shell game to tout an 8 percent reduction (in pollutants), where we need an 80 percent reduction in some locations,” Russell wrote.

But, you say, we have a clean lake. Why should we be concerned? Why is Lake Watch concerned? In two previous articles this year in Lake magazine (Chickens in the Watershed, January 2020 edition and What to Watch – Lake Watch monitors a potential threat to the lake in the October 2020 edition), readers learned about the poultry houses expanding in our watershed.

Chicken litter, spread as fertilizer and flushed from the landscape by rainfall, flows into creeks that then flow into Lake Martin. Water monitors are already finding significant bacterial contamination in four of those streams above the lake. Lake Watch bacteriological monitoring done after submission of Lake Watch’s October Lake magazine article revealed the highest bacteria we’ve seen to date: 9,100 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water (about half a cup). That’s 30 times higher than ADEM’s allowable standard. This high level of E. coli was measured in Crooked Creek following a rainfall/runoff event with about 3 inches of precipitation. This means that a lot of fecal matter was flushed into the stream that empties into the Tallapoosa River, which empties into our lake. 

So, it appears that we already could have a pollution issue involving fecal/E. coli contamination, at least in the upper end of the lake following rain events. This does not seem to be the time to weaken regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs, which in our case, are poultry farms), especially as more and bigger chicken houses continue to pop up above the lake.

This situation vividly highlights a major shortcoming of the lake’s Treasured Alabama Lake designation. TAL is a valuable tool in protecting the lake from the inflow of pollutants around the lake, but it only covers the lake itself; the protected water flow starts below Irwin Shoals, where Jaybird Creek enters the Tallapoosa River. It offers no added protections against pollutants flowing down the river from the streams draining the watershed above this point. This shortfall must be addressed so that we don’t turn into another Lake Champlain.

Lake Watch wants to partner with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management in an effort to mitigate these pollutants. At a meeting held on Dec. 11, the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, which is the oversight commission for ADEM, adopted proposed changes in the regulation of CAFOs by ADEM.

The changes will establish a statewide regulatory system, which has yet to be clearly defined, in lieu of the federal NPDES regulatory system, which is currently in use. The statewide system reduces CAFO registration requirements from once a year to once every five years and reduces required farm inspections from annually to once every five years.

At Lake Watch, we think that, on its face, the new regulatory system appears to ease up on surveillance and other regulations of the poultry farms, which could lead to increased pollution of our lake. Numerous letters were written by members of Lake Watch, Lake Martin Homeowners and Boat Owners, Lake Martin Resource Association, The City of Alexander City and dozens of community members residing on the lake and/or that recreate on the lake to oppose these changes. I applaud all who let their voices be heard for the sake of the lake.

Lake Watch was well-represented at the meeting by Matt Campbell, chairperson of the Lake Watch Legal Committee. Campbell vocalized our concerns about expanding poultry farms and called for public/citizen participation in the decision-making and stewardship of Lake Martin’s watershed. He was joined by representatives from Lake Martin HOBO and LMRA who echoed similar concerns. 

Following the AEMC passage of the amendment on Dec. 11, ADEM Director Lance LeFleur wrote me a letter addressing some of the comments/concerns pertaining to the changes in regulatory oversight of poultry farms, i.e., the creation of State regulatory oversight. In his letter, which I have shared with his knowledge and permission, LeFleur made the following remarks:

“… we believe these changes will support enhanced protection of water quality in the Lake Martin watershed and other watersheds across Alabama.”

“The single biggest benefit of these regulatory changes will be to support an enhanced field presence by ADEM inspectors and allow ADEM inspectors to conduct more field inspections in lieu of being in the office and reviewing inspection reports produced by independent Qualified Credentialed Professionals (QCPs).”

“QCPs are hired by the CAFO owner … In addition, QCP inspections are announced ahead of time … In contrast, ADEM inspections are unannouncedly allowing ADEM inspectors to have a better awareness of operational deficiencies prior to them being corrected … Thus, ADEM can more effectively …  focus on complaint investigations, and (to) focus inspection efforts on specific geographical areas such as those that have been classified/designated as Treasured Alabama Lake, Outstanding Alabama Water, Outstanding National Resource Water, or Public Water Supply.”

“The State permit keeps in place all of the water quality protections afforded by the NPDES permit and the State permit is fully enforceable by ADEM.”

“… several comments submitted (that) referenced water quality data collected by Lake Watch of Lake Martin members that appeared to show elevated levels of bacteria (E. coli) in the waterways in the Lake Martin area.”

“ADEM has historically utilized data collected by citizen monitoring groups to assist in targeting its more extensive water quality monitoring efforts and will continue with that effort, to include an extensive review of the water quality data submitted as part of the public comment period for rulemaking effort.”

The ADEM response gives me comfort in knowing that 1) ADEM heard the concerns from many members of the Lake Martin community; 2) ADEM does value and use our Lake Watch water testing data; 3) ADEM has identified special waters, particularly TAL, i.e. Lake Martin, as candidates for increased attention and inspections of CAFOs in their watersheds; and 4) all existing CAFO regulations will be preserved in the new State regulatory system.

I believe it is up to the Lake Martin community to be the eyes and ears of our lake and its watershed, in coordination with ADEM. We must continue and strengthen our monitoring efforts in the watershed above the lake.

If you value our beautiful lake and want it to remain the cleanest lake in the state, I urge you to join in our efforts to monitor our watershed and work on the expansion of the TAL protections to include the whole watershed. These actions are essential in maintaining our excellent water quality. Come aboard: Join Lake Watch in protecting our Treasure. Visit lakewatch.org for more information.

~ Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin.

LAKE WATCHER

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin No. 56, January 2021
by Eric Reutebuch

2020 Achievements:

• 31 sites monitored for water chemistry and bacteria in the Lake Martin Watershed
• Added 5 watershed monitoring sites above the lake to assess poultry expansion's impact
• 302 data records submitted to the AWW water quality database
• Lobbied vigorously with community partners for strengthening CAFO regulations, particularly for poultry

 Lake Watch Officers*:

Eric Reutebuch, President
Matt Campbell, Vice President
Dianna Porter, Secretary
Janne Debes, Treasurer

LW Board of Directors:

Joanne Walker
Dick Bronson      
Myrna Lehman
Laurie Barrett
Tom Collier
Jesse Cunningham
Bill Butler

(*Lake Watch officers also serve on board)

Letter from the President

It goes without saying that 2020 was a very challenging year! I hope and pray that all of you and your families made it through safely! In spite of the pandemic, it was a busy and challenging year for Lake Watch after our annual meeting on February 23, 2020. The meeting went well.

We were pleased to award Zelma and Raymond DePasquale the 2020 Woodfin Martin Award in appreciation for their many efforts in environmental education at Radney Elementary, conducting Living Streams at Camp ASCCA and Birmingham, their long-time water monitoring efforts, and service on the Lake Watch Board of Directors. Congratulations Zelma and Raymond!

The 2020 Bronson Environmental Stewardship was awarded to Bruce Adams, Superintendent of Wind Creek State Park for his support and participation in the annual Lake Martin Renew Our Rivers Cleanup; his support of a bacteria testing program at the park’s public swimming beach conducted by Auburn scientists and Lake Watch volunteers in an effort to evaluate risks from bacteria for swimmers (the tests indicated no areas for concern at the Wind Creek State Park beach); his support to include the State Park’s swimming beach in an international database called Swim Guide; and his collaboration with Lake Watch in the construction of an environmental education kiosk promoting lake stewardship efforts.  Mr. Adams has been a strong advocate of environmental protection, especially for the park and Lake Martin, an environmental educator to thousands, and a partner in many Lake Watch stewardship efforts. Congratulations Mr. Adams!

We were pleased to have Lance LeFleur, Director, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, as our speaker at our last annual meeting. Director LeFleur and Richard Hulcher informed us on ADEM’s regulation of poultry production, which is greatly expanding in the Middle Tallapoosa Basin just above the lake. I consider the expansion of poultry farms above the lake to be the most significant potential threat to our lake’s water quality. Aside from our routine monthly monitoring, the poultry expansion and regulation issue consumed most of our efforts in 2020.

At that time (February 2020), we had a couple of sample results from our above-lake bacteriological monitoring program that was initiated by Matt Campbell in the fall of 2019, and is ongoing. Those samples did not indicate any high E. coli coming down the three monitored streams: Crooked, Emuckfaw, and Timbergut, that were selected to sample because of the significant numbers of poultry farms in their watersheds. One caveat – there were no significant rain events during these early sample runs.

We continued sampling, adding Hillabee Creek in August of last year, specifically during and immediately after rain events. We tried to target significant rain events that covered the whole Middle Tallapoosa Watershed (where the four streams flow through and then drain into the Tallapoosa River, which drains into the lake).  That made a BIG difference. We started seeing E. coli contamination in thousands per 100 milliliters of water (about a half-cup of water). It makes sense for the high bacteria counts to occur directly following a significant rain event since that’s when chicken manure (litter) is washed off the landscape and into nearby streams, assuming you get enough rain. The chicken litter is typically spread on fields as fertilizer – it is a good fertilizer and it adds organic matter to the soil improving soil texture. But, when it is flushed into streams, it causes bacterial contamination (E. coli, Salmonella, etc.), unwanted nutrient enrichment (increases algae blooms), and organic matter contamination (which can deplete dissolved oxygen when it decomposes in the water).

In addition to the watershed monitoring, our monitors continue to diligently test sites throughout the lake. This is not only crucial for detecting any negative impacts from pollutants coming from the watershed down the Tallapoosa River, but also crucial for detecting impacts from potential sources from streams that flow directly into the lake (Coley, Elkahatchee, Dennis, Blue, etc.).

See Water Monitoring below for more details on Lake Watch results for 2020.

Our other main activity last year was addressing the proposed changes in ADEM’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulations. CAFO regulations include regulations over the ever-expanding poultry farms sprouting up in our watershed above the lake – thus we were both interested and concerned. See Lake Watch Legal Committee Efforts below for more details.

In closing, I am optimistic that 2021 is going to be a good productive year for Lake Watch and for our lake. I’ve seen a growing interest in protecting our treasured lake and hope to see a growth in our membership and watershed stewardship activities. Y’all stay safe and I hope to see you later this year!

Annual Meeting

Due to the continuing and rapid spread of the coronavirus, the Lake Watch board has decided to postpone our annual meeting. We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus and the rollout of the vaccine. We will plan the meeting when it is deemed safe. All, please stay safe and stay healthy.

Elections

The Lake Watch board met via Zoom on January 18, 2021 to discuss our plans for this year. We had a good meeting to discuss our goals and objectives to strengthen Lake Watch and to continue, and increase, the protection of our Treasured Lake. We had two long-time board members retire from the board: Judy Palfrey (left picture) and Zelma DePasquale (right picture). I extend my heart-felt appreciation to Judy and Zelma for their years of service – as board members, as monitors, as teachers of the public and in schools, as monitor trainer/coordinator (Judy)  and Vice President (Judy) – THANK YOU!

The Lake Watch board received a nomination for Vice President and unanimously elected MATT CAMPBELL (right picture) as our new VP! Matt and Ann have monitored for years. Matt has led our Legal Committee, and is leading the monitoring efforts in our watershed bacteriological monitoring of watershed streams above the lake. THANK YOU Matt for stepping up!

The Lake Watch board was also happy to accept Janne Debes (left picture) to a second term as Treasurer! Janne has monitored for years, has been AWW Monitor of The Year for the past couple of years, and served on our board. THANK YOU Janne for stepping up!

And THANK YOU to all of our board members for your efforts, ideas and actions in guiding our Lake Watch efforts!

Budget

Our Treasurer Janne reported to the board that for 2020 Lake Watch had fewer expenses and increased membership dues contributions. We had 126 dues-paying members. We started 2020 with $5,032 and ended the year at $5,768. I’d say we’re in good shape with one caveat: we will have additional expenditures with our plans of increased water testing in the watershed above the lake, and particularly with running genetic sourcing tests in the watershed to identify where the E. coli are coming from (which animal(s) – humans, pets, wildlife, livestock, and/or poultry). Thus, all contributions are most welcome. And a big THANK YOU to all who support Lake Watch through annual dues and donations, especially our Silver, Gold and Platinum donors! We couldn’t operate without your support!

Water Monitoring

The Lake Watch volunteer water monitors continue to watch over our lake through their diligent monthly water testing. Unfortunately, Lake Watch lost eight monitors last year ☹.  We are in need of new monitors! We also need citizen water monitor trainers! I have a list of five individuals who want to get trained as monitors – we’re just waiting for a safe time to do it. If you know of anybody that you think would be interested in water monitoring – ask them, and if they’re willing let me know and I’ll add them to my list!

In spite of the loss of monitors, water testing actually increased in 2020! Lake Watch monitors conducting 302 water tests (192 water chemistry records and 110 bacteria records) compared to 216 total records last year. Lake Watch monitoring sites also increased from 24 to 31 sites last year (see 2019 and 2020 site maps on the next page; green=active sites, red=inactive sites), from Crooked Creek (the lake’s headwaters near Lineville) down to the Martin Dam. I am happy to report that our volunteer water monitors’ data showed good water quality throughout the boundaries of the lake. No violations of ADEM water quality standards were reported.

It was a different story for the streams flowing into the lake, and those flowing into the Tallapoosa River which then flows into the lake. Our watershed sampling above the lake indicated high loads of E. coli bacteria (indicating fecal contamination in the water) during rain event sampling. We saw this repeatedly on Crooked Creek near Lineville, Emuckfaw Creek near Horseshoe Bend and Timbergut Creek near New Site, each time we sampled during rain events. All of these streams have significant numbers of poultry houses that have popped up in their watersheds, and all drain to the river that then drains to the lake. High E. coli was also seen once in the Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend.

Lake Watch will continue our sampling of these streams, as well as Hillabee Creek and the Tallapoosa River. Our citizens who recreate on these streams and rivers know how lovely they are, and indeed their water quality is very good to excellent, except at times of heavy rainfall and higher water levels. The high quality of the many tributary streams in our Tallapoosa Watershed must be preserved and protected against degradation.

Bacteria plates showing E. coli contamination (blue colonies) in Crooked Creek last October – there should be no more than 3 E. coli per plate to be within ADEM’s regulations, these had ~ 91 per plate!     E. coli counts are shown graphically below. Dashed red line indicates ADEM limit of 298 E. coli per 100 mL of water for a single sample during the warm season.

 Lake Watch submitted e-complaints to ADEM to document the high E. coli counts that were seen from three of the streams in the lake’s watershed. This alerted ADEM to the situation as well as documented the contamination in ADEM’s complaint system.

The following streams contained E. coli above ADEM’s State Fish & Wildlife standard of 298 E. coli/100 mL of water (Summer standard for single sample test). Values are averages of triplicate samples using the AWW Coliscan Easygel bacteriological test:

6/10/2020 e-complaint:
Crooked Creek at Watts residence off Berwick Rd: 1,400 E. coli/100 mL

10/20/2020 e-complaint:
Crooked Creek at Watts residence off Berwick Rd: 9,100 E. coli/100 mL;
Emuckfaw Creek at HWY 49 Bridge: 2,833 E. coli/100 mL;
Timbergut Creek at Tallapoosa CR 100 Bridge: 3,067 E. coli/100 mL

We plan to continue monitoring key streams above the lake for bacteria, specifically E. coli, along with genetic source tracking analyses to determine the source of the fecal contamination. Sampling will focus on significant rainfall/runoff events to check for potential impacts from poultry operations near these streams.

 Join me in giving a big THANK YOU to all of our Lake Watch volunteer monitors: 

• Allen Sneed
• Bill Butler 
• Matt & Ann Campbell
• Joanne Walker
• Edwin Eiswerth
• Connie Wheatley
• Mike Guillot
• Marge Johnson
• Janne Debes
• Judy Palfrey
• Eric Reutebuch
• Dianna Porter*
• John Owen*

*Pictured at right sampling at Timbergut Creek

Note that some areas of the lake still go unmonitored, particularly the tributary streams flowing directly into the lake (Coley, Elkahatchee, Dennis, Manoy, Little Kowaliga, Wind, Oakachoy, Chapman, and Parker creeks) as folks move away and long-time volunteers retire their test kits, so we are always in need of new water monitors. If you think it’s a necessity to have an insurance policy for your home and your car, think the same way about your lake – insure it through your involvement and investment in lake stewardship by becoming a Lake Watch supporter, and consider becoming a water monitor. Visit the Alabama Water Watch website at www.alabamawaterwatch.org for information on water testing and registration for free workshops held throughout the year, or email Eric at reuteem@auburn.edu.

 Lake Watch Legal Committee Efforts

 Lake Watch Legal Committee members had a busy year in 2020, focused on ADEM CAFO regulations. Eric submitted comments to ADEM in June of 2020. Three items were identified that we thought needed addressed in the annual 5-year CAFO regulations review:

1.      lack of public visibility of pending registration for new CAFOs in the state,

2.      lack of adequate vegetated stream buffers between CAFOs and streams, especially for our Treasured Alabama Lake,

3.      lack of adequate inspection and enforcement of existing CAFO regulations.

ADEM sent a response letter back saying that their existing regs were adequate.

In September, it was discovered that ADEM was proposing a new set of CAFO regulations thanks to the eagle-eye of Matt Campbell. These State CAFO regulations, if approved, would allow a CAFO operator to opt out of the existing Federal CAFO regulations. The Legal Committee, under Matt’s leadership, felt that the proposed State CAFO regulation option was not strong or protective enough to maintain clean water and went virtually unnoticed by the public and even environmental advocates. Very few people knew about this highly significant proposed shift in CAFO regulations, which could have a profound impact on our lake. The Legal Committee tried to get the word out to the greater Lake Martin area community, and asked that folks send letters to ADEM objecting to the change in regulations until the public was informed and the regulations were further strengthened. It was reported that ADEM received around 100 letters!

THANKS to all of you who raised your hands in support of the lake!

THANKS to Lake Martin HOBO and LMRA and the Alexander City Mayor and the Outlook for calling for letters to support the lake!

Well, notwithstanding those 100 letters including numerous letters from the Lake Watch President and Legal Committee, and trips to Montgomery by Matt and Jesse Cunningham, the proposed regulations were passed. For a deeper look at the results of the meeting, check out the Lake Magazine January 2021 article: ADEM promises improved oversight of 'Treasured' waters at: https://www.lakemagazine.life/lake_news/adem-promises-improved-oversight-of-treasured-waters/article_748dc5e2-5770-11eb-941f-c70d8fa29e9a.html .

All is not lost though! As a result of this, the Lake Martin community united like never before in support of clean water. We plan to strengthen community partnerships and strengthen stewardship of Lake Martin in the coming months.

Lake Watch Environmental Education Efforts

As you can imagine environmental education efforts were stifled last year because of the pandemic. None-the-less, efforts will resume when it is safe to once again gather with students and community members. We’ll keep you posted.

Trash Cleanup

Last year’s annual Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanup on Lake Martin has removed more than 160 tons of trash from Lake Martin. LMRA president, John Thompson has been coordinating the lake clean up, in coordination with Alabama Power and several other partners since 2006, along with over 2000 volunteers. Lake Watch members Ken and Tanya Holland, along with Tanya’s sister Tammie McVickers and Tanya’s mother, Shirley Cook extended a huge helping hand again this year, going way above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to clean up the lake (as they’ve done for many years). They spend several weekends before the official cleanup collecting and bagging trash in sloughs for easy pickup during the ROR cleanup. Let’s all extend a big THANK YOU to all of the ROR volunteers! Ps., can you find our two Bronson Environmental Stewardship Award winners, John Thompson, Director of LMRA, and Bruce Adams, Superintendent of Wind Creek State Park, as well as Ken and Tanya and Tammie and Shirley in the picture of volunteers above (Source: Lake Magazine).

Plans for 2021

The Lake Watch board met on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 to debrief on the December 11 meeting of the Environmental Management Commission where ADEM’s proposed CAFO regulations were passed. The board discussed next steps in light of the passing of the new State CAFO regulations, which follow:

1. Have additional board members get on ADEM’s notification list so we don’t miss any key announcements by ADEM that pertain to Lake Martin and its watershed.
2. Try to identify the folks that took the initiative to send in letters of support for our opposition to request that they join in our 2021 efforts and work toward coalescing this group to proceed with measures to protect our lake.
3. Continue cultivating relationships with key ADEM personnel to aid in our efforts to protect the lake.
4. Request updates from ADEM personnel on ADEM water monitoring and CAFO inspections in our watershed.
5. Maintain/increase monitoring of key streams that have significant poultry production, including bacteria (E. coli) monitoring and also genetic source tracking analyses to identify the source(s) of fecal contamination in streams that flow into Lake Martin.
6. Develop a Fact Sheet for public outreach that clearly defines threats to the lake from CAFOs.
7. Investigate strengthening the Treasured Alabama Lake designation of Lake Martin to extend protections beyond the lake to the whole watershed, including the streams and the Tallapoosa River that drain into the lake.

We welcome all who are willing and able to help us accomplish these objectives! We need you!

We also welcome your suggestions/ideas on accomplishing these objectives and other ideas on how to better protect our lake from emerging threats.

Closing Thoughts

YOU are what makes Lake Watch of Lake Martin work! We urge each of our Lake Watch members to spread the word about Lake Watch, to support our programs and to participate. Help sign up new members to our team! Consider an additional donation to Lake Watch! Not everyone can get out and monitor water, or teach in a classroom, or give a presentation, but each member is essential to our success.

Together, we can make a difference in the protection of our lake, in water conservation and clean water advocacy, and in the world we leave for our children. If every Lake Watch member encourages one or two friends to join in our efforts, it will go a long way toward ensuring the continuation of the good work we've accomplished over the past 29 years. Go visit your neighbor and convince him or her to sign up. Signing up is easy, just go to our  website, www.lakewatch.org and click the menu item ‘Get Involved’.

Dues Reminder

Take the plunge, if you haven’t already!  

• Protect Lake Martin by supporting Lake Watch!
• And ask a neighbor to do the same!

For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already sent in their dues for 2021, THANK YOU!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to send your check to:

P. O. Box 72, Alexander City, AL 35010

to keep your membership current. Membership levels are listed below:

Regular dues (annual):     Student  $10      Individual  $15         Family  $25

Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50      Gold  $100                 Platinum  $250

We also welcome donations of any amount.  Don't forget–a donation in someone's honor/memory is a lovely gift/tribute.

By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch President
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, October 2020 Edition

Lake Watch monitors a potential threat to the lake

As Lake magazine readers know, Lake Watch of Lake Martin has been shepherding over the waters of Lake Martin for many years – over the past three decades to be precise. Past threats to the lake have included a lakeside landfill and point sources of both industrial and municipal waste. These were met with strong advocacy for maintaining clean water in our lake by Lake Watch. Those efforts, along with the efforts of others, are the reason we still have the one-and-only Treasured Alabama Lake, the cleanest lake in the state. 

Our long-term monitoring continues at sites throughout the lake, as well as monitoring at new high-priority sites. Volunteer monitors currently test each month at 28 sites and have taken 3,138 data records from the lake, the Tallapoosa River above the lake and streams that empty into the lake. Lake Watch volunteer monitors have monitored swim areas, including D.A.R.E. Park beach, Wind Creek State Park beach and Pace’s Trail terminus, and have recently added a new swim site, the beach at Kowaliga Restaurant. Thankfully, all have been either completely free of E. coli bacteria (meaning no presence of fecal contamination – that’s a good thing!) or very low in E. coli, well below the state-mandated limit to protect human health. Kudos to our monitors for their commitment to preserving our Treasured Lake.

Ah, but just when you think you can rest on your laurels and go fishing, things change – new threats emerge. The most significant, in my opinion, is the explosion of poultry production right above the lake. I wrote about this in detail in the January 2020 edition of Lake magazine (Chickens in the Watershed). Since that time, Lake Watch has witnessed the construction of even more poultry houses in our watershed and has monitored sites on streams that contain significant poultry production that drain to the lake. 

Test sites include one on Crooked Creek downstream from Lineville, one on Emuckfaw Creek at Highway 49 Bridge and one on Timbergut Creek. The Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend is also monitored. At the time this article was written, we’d captured one good rain event that showed significant bacterial contamination in all three streams. Timely sampling directly following a significant rain event is critical because that’s when pollutants, such as chicken litter, are flushed from the landscape into surface waters. 

Small streams rise quickly and then fall quickly. If they’re down by the time a monitor arrives (typically within hours of when the rain stops pouring down), the pollutants have already been flushed through – they’re downstream and on their way to the lake. The highest contamination was found in Emuckfaw Creek, 3,567 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water (about half a cup of water) – that’s not good. That level of contamination is 12 times higher than the state’s standard for a Fish and Wildlife-classified stream, such as Emuckfaw Creek, and is definitely not safe to swim in. 

If the water is high and muddy, it would be better to wait a day or two for it to go down and clear up to avoid swallowing nasty bacteria.

As of now, we only have this one date of high values, plus one date in February 2020 when the Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend tested high for E. coli, 1,133 per 100 milliliters. I must add a big caveat: We don’t yet know the source of the E. coli in the creeks or the river. It could be poultry, cattle or wildlife – more testing is required to identify the source. 

And, to repeat myself from my last article, I love fried chicken. I grew up farming in northern Indiana – row crops, hogs and cattle, and I have a deep respect for farmers and the service they provide feeding the nation; nonetheless, Lake Watch remains greatly concerned with the proliferation of chicken houses above our one-and-only Treasured Lake. The questions that keep coming to my mind are: How many are too many? And can we determine this before our Treasured Lake is polluted and loses its luster? 

Lake Watch will continue to test the waters above Lake Martin. We hope to partner with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, poultry producers and other state agencies, so we can work collaboratively to understand what impacts, if any, are originating upstream and determine how to mitigate them, if needed. Stay tuned.

Lastly, as usual, we’d love your support in our efforts to preserve and protect Lake Martin today and for generations to come. Monitors and members come and go, so we’re always looking for a few good women and men. Come aboard at lakewatch.org. 

~ Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin. 

By:  Joanne Cunningham Walker, Lake Watch Member
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, July 2020 Edition

Did you hear what Ole COVID-19 said?

“Go jump in the lake!”

School is out or online. Mama and Daddy must work at home. Stores closed. Can’t shop. Can’t invite friends over. Can’t go to the playground …

“Hey, wait a minute. Let’s go to the lake, where there’s a 41,150-acre playground, full and ready.” 

Retail stores may be struggling, but the marinas are bustling. Lines of boats to be serviced. Captains best make appointments. Gas is pumping like every day is a holiday weekend. 

Social distancing is no problem around Lake Martin. Walk down a country road. COVID-19 didn’t bother the trees and wildflowers. Wave at the neighbors. Raft up out in the lake, with passengers staying a safe distance aboard; or jump in where there is lots of distance to spare.

One of our favorite social distancing methods is tying our boat to a neighbor’s dock. We stay aboard while neighbors are comfortably seated on their pier. We sip and visit as the sun sets, spraying pinks and reds across the sky. Ahh, we all enjoy this Treasured Lake – the only one in Alabama. 

Meanwhile, we are all vigilant, working hard to protect ourselves from this coronavirus. Even as the quarantine begins to lift, we have learned much about how to keep ourselves healthy. We will continue to be vigilant, always checking to see from where this virus might be coming. 

Our Treasured Lake must be protected in the same way. There is a big difference: Eventually, a vaccine will be developed to ward off COVID-19. No such vaccine will ever permanently guard these waters. We must be the vaccine that immunizes our lake. 

The simplest way to inoculate our Treasured Lake is for everybody to start: Do not toss any trash in the water or leave messes on the shoreline. Not any. Even just one little cup would make a difference. One cup multiplied by hundreds of boats, and our lake is a garbage dump.

 If you see one cup – can, plastic bag, bait cup, flabby swim noodle floating – pick it up. Take it home. Make a game: Whoever picks up the most wins a prize. 

Be careful what you do in your own lakeside yard. Runoff from certain lawn fertilizers contains chemicals that will encourage toxic algae, a problem we have so far avoided.

Join Lake Watch of Lake Martin. This organization began years ago when chemicals were being dumped into the lake. This toxic practice was stopped, and Lake Watch was born. Lake Watch members not only sponsor workshops to educate the next generation but also promote legislation protecting our public waters; expansion of the Alabama Water Watch program; and specifically, monitoring for pollution problems on Lake Martin. Most recently, Lake Watch is actively assessing the threat that chicken houses pose to the streams that feed Lake Martin. 

Jump in. Become a water monitor. Unlike arguments about how and what to do about this coronavirus, checking for the presence of “ailments” in our own water is already standard practice. Thanks to volunteer monitors, bacterial and chemical testing is conducted at points around the lake, but most importantly, more testing is needed. You are needed. You will learn step-by-step how to test, receive all supplies and start testing. Visit the website at www.lakewatch.orgfor more information.

Join us for a clean, healthy “disease-free” lake. 

~ Joanne Cunningham Walker is a member of Lake Watch Lake Martin.

By:  Bill Butler, Lake Watch Board Member and Water Monitor
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, April 2020 Edition

More than 70 members and guests attended the Lake Watch of Lake Martin annual meeting on Feb. 23, 2020, at the StillWaters Residential Association Building. Alabama Department of Environmental Management Director Lance LeFleur and the head of the Office of Field Services, Richard Hulcher, spoke to the group about the state of the environment in Alabama, emphasizing the trends over the last several years and painting a largely positive picture in three major categories.  

Air

LeFleur reported that Alabama now meets all seven national standards for air quality. Though some areas occasionally exceed certain standards, the annual readings show Alabama’s air pollution is well controlled.  

Land

Unauthorized or inadequate solid waste landfills have been a serious problem, but over the past 30 years, ADEM has supervised the safe closing of 141 inferior landfills, replacing them with 32 state-of-the-art triple-lined landfills. Part of this improvement is tied to the state’s solid waste reduction; that is, recycling and other measures.  

Since 1989, Alabama has seen an increase in the waste reduction rate from 5 percent to 25 percent. LeFleur mentioned that ADEM has a grant program to help municipalities establish recycling programs.

Scrap tire dumps remain a concern. Scrap tires hold water and produce breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rats and other pests. Since 2006, ADEM has overseen cleanup of 341 illegal scrap tire dumps involving 9.9 million tires.  

Water

ADEM now monitors 89 contaminants, up from 23 in 1982. In 2018, 98 percent of Alabama’s public drinking water systems met standards.  

Lake Watch’s primary focus is surface water quality, and LeFleur reported an upward trend in this area as well. A key component of the nation’s control of water pollution is Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act, which requires states to evaluate water quality data and develop a list of waters that are considered impaired. Alabama had 11,913 miles of rivers and streams listed as impaired in 1998. By 2018, this number was 3,276. While we applaud this improvement, it must be recognized that some waters in the Tallapoosa River Basin, remain below standards.

Chicken Houses

Hulcher said ADEM classifies chicken houses and other such animal farming production as Animal Feeding Operations AFOs or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, depending on the number of animals involved.  

There are 975 active CAFOs in Alabama, 131 of which are located in the Tallapoosa River Basin. Although only CAFOs are required to register and obtain permits, both types of operations must comply with ADEM regulations to control polluted runoff from their sites. A facility must maintain a vegetated buffer zone of at least 200 feet from the river and 100 feet from a tributary stream. A properly operated chicken house has zero pollution runoff. Chicken litter is a valuable commodity, so it is typically sold and hauled off, rather than accumulating on site. Lake Watch tests key areas in the watershed to monitor for bacteria and nutrients from poultry CAFOs.

Both speakers encouraged citizen participation and communication in helping to prevent pollution. LeFleur said ADEM actually likes to receive complaints,as it helps them narrow down problem areas and monitor compliance. A huge amount of data and the complaint portal, can be found at www.adem.state.al.us.  

In other business, Lake Watch presented two annual awards. The Woodfin Martin Award went to Zelma and Raymond DePasquale, who were recognized for their many years of support for a clean Lake Martin through efforts in conducting environmental education at Radney Elementary and Living Streams programs at Camp ASCCA and in Birmingham; their longtime water monitoring efforts; and service as board member and officer for Lake Watch.

The Bronson Environmental Stewardship Award was presented to Bruce Adams, superintendent at Wind Creek State Park, for his support of environmental preservation and Lake Watch’s efforts, including his recent help in establishing Lake Watch’s informational kiosk at the park.

As a final note, one of the categories of waters that are designated by ADEM for special protection due to its high quality is that of Treasured Alabama Lake. Lake Martin was designated a Treasured Alabama Lake in 2011 and is still the only lake so named. Because of this designation, no new point sources of pollution (e.g. municipal sewage or industrial discharges) can be introduced into the lake, and there are strict limits on allowable levels of phosphorus and E. coli bacteria. 

Several Lake Watch members have been trained as water monitors and conduct periodic water sampling at sites on the lake and surrounding areas. Our extensive water quality monitoring program has established a baseline of trend data to help address future threats to the lake. Alabama Water Watch, based at Auburn University, offers free training courses, and a couple of Lake Watch members are also certified trainers. Water monitors are always needed. Right now, monitors are especially needed on the west side of the lake. Please consider joining and getting trained as a monitor.    

Lake Watch encourages everyone who loves Lake Martin to join our efforts to protect our Treasured Lake. Annual membership is as little as $15 ($10 for students). Visit the website address below to sign on.  

Bill Butler is a board member and water monitor with Lake Watch of Lake Martin.

LAKE WATCHER

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin  No. 55, January 2020
by Eric Reutebuch

2019 Achievements:

• 24 sites monitored for water chemistry and bacteria in the Lake Martin Watershed
• 216 data records submitted to the AWW water quality database
• Educated hundreds of children and adults about lake and watershed stewardship
• Installed educational kiosk at Wind Creek State Park in partnership with the park
• Supported the Tallapoosa County Water Festival with funding and people-power

Lake Watch Officers:

Eric Reutebuch, President
Judy Palfrey, Vice President
Dianna Porter, Secretary
Janne Debes, Treasurer

LW Board of Directors:

Matt Campbell      
George Zorn
Myrna Lehman
Laurie Barrett
Tom Collier
Jesse Cunningham
Dick Bronson
Zelma dePasquale  
Joanne Walker

Lake Watch Annual Meeting February 23, 2020    

The Lake Watch Annual Meeting will be Sunday, February 23, 2020, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the StillWaters Residential Association Centre inside StillWaters Resort (1816 StillWaters Drive, Dadeville, AL; map and directions below). The meeting will be followed by a social from 3:30-4:00 pm, with hors d'oeuvres, dessert and beverages, BYOB if you desire.  We ask that you pre-register online so that we have a head count to prepare adequate seating and refreshments.

Register for the meeting at www.lakewatch.org . Click the Events menu on the left side of the homepage, then under Upcoming events click Lake Watch of Lake Martin Annual Meeting, then the Register button, and follow instructions – be sure to add the proper number of ‘guests’ if you are bringing a spouse or friend(s) with you. Or, if you prefer, send an e-mail to us at info@lakewatch.org to let us know that you plan to attend, and we’ll register you. Once you’ve registered, please check in at the door at the meeting for an agenda, to update your Lake Watch contact info if needed, and for newbees – to become a Lake Watch member.

We are pleased to have Lance LeFleur, Director, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, to inform us on the emergence of poultry production in the Middle Tallapoosa Basin just above the lake and its environmental consequences relative to the water quality of our lake.

 Lake Watch president, Eric Reutebuch, will give an overview of results from Lake Watch volunteer water quality monitoring throughout the lake, including an update on our monitoring of streams with significant poultry production that flow into the lake.  The meeting will be followed by social at 3:30-4:00 pm. Go to the Lake Watch website to register for the meeting (www.lakewatch.org).

Directions to StillWaters Residential Association Building: From Dadeville take Hwy 49 south, turn into StillWaters onto Moonbrook Drive, take Moonbrook Drive to StillWaters Drive, turn right on StillWaters Drive, the StillWaters Residential Association Building will be on your left.

Lake Watch Leadership and Budget

Changes in our leadership in 2019 included Judy Palfrey taking over as vice-president and Tom Collier joining our board of directors; and the loss of board of director Kathryn Braund and the addition of Laurie Barrett to replace her – THANK YOU Kathryn for your many years of service on the board and as president, and THANK YOU Judy, Tom and Laurie for stepping up! And a big THANKS to all of our officers and board members, and to Kathryn for posting updates on our website!

Lake Watch budget: end-of-year balance as of 12/31/2018 = $6,298; 2019 expenditures = $4,185; 2019 donations and dues = $2,920, end-of-year balance as of 12/31/2019 = $5,033. A big THANK YOU to all who’ve sent their annual dues in, especially to those who have donated at the Silver ($50; six donors), Gold ($100; one donor); and Platinum ($250; two donors). As you probably know, most of the Lake Watch budget is spent on the purchase of water testing supplies. Membership funds are also used to cover costs to spread the word of watershed stewardship, water conservation, to advocate for clean water, and to encourage others to join in our efforts. The website, newsletter, and teaching supplies are all part of these costs. One significant one-time expense in 2019 of $1,052 was the construction of an environmental education kiosk in Wind Creek State Park. The park graciously provided the labor and Lake Watch provided materials and posters, see Chickens in the Watershed (pages 7-8; courtesy of Lake Magazine) for more details on this successful partnership.

Water Monitoring 

Judy Palfrey served as Lake Watch water monitoring coordinator for several years, ensuring that Lake Watch monitors have adequate supplies to do their water testing. Janne Debes took over for Judy in 2019. THANK YOU Judy for your many years of service as water monitoring coordinator, and THANK YOU Janne for stepping up to replace her! And a big THANKS to all of our dedicated water monitors!! 

Lake Watch gained seven new AWW-certified water monitors in 2019, Ken and Tonya Holland, Marge Johnson, Connie Wheatley, Cherie Stephenson, John Owen and Shani Smith.  Lake Watch volunteer monitors have increased monitoring throughout the lake and tributaries to 216 water tests (161 water chemistry records and 55 bacteria records; compared to 200 total records last year) at 24 sites (up from 20 sites last year); from Crooked Creek (near Lineville) down to Martin Dam. Three of these sites are on streams above the lake draining areas containing significant poultry production, a recent development in the Lake Martin Watershed that we are very concerned about.

2018 Sites:

2019 Sites:

I am happy to report that our volunteer water monitors’ data showed good water quality throughout the lake, and in streams that flow into the lake. No violations of ADEM water quality standards were reported. We plan to continue monitoring key streams above the lake for bacteria, specifically E. coli, particularly after significant rainfall/runoff events to check for potential impacts from poultry operations near these streams. 

Note that some areas of the lake still go unmonitored, particularly the tributary streams flowing into the lake, as folks move away and long-time volunteers retire their test kits, so we are always in need of new water monitors. If you think it’s a necessity to have an insurance policy for your home and your car, think the same way about your lake – insure it through your involvement and investment in lake stewardship by becoming a Lake Watch supporter, and consider becoming a water monitor. Visit the Alabama Water Watch website at www.alabamawaterwatch.org for information on water testing and registration for free workshops held throughout the year, or email Eric at reuteem@auburn.edu.

Lake Watch Environmental Education Efforts
By Dianna Porter

 Earth Day Celebration at Keebler Park, Dadeville: we had an estimated crowd of about 500 visit Keebler Park to celebrate Earth Day.  Judy Palfrey and Mandi Milford set up the Enviroscape right in the middle of a large example of a watershed.  The kids could see firsthand how pollution could travel downhill and into streams, and how pollution in the streams affect macroinvertebrates, fish, waterfowl and people. This year Keebler Park will be celebrating its 3^rd Annual Earth Day Celebration on April the 25^th 2020. More information to come on the Celebration.

Tallapoosa County Water Festival at Wind Creek State Park:   Judy and I taught the kids about the Water Cycle – precipitation, infiltration, transportation, evaporation and condensation.  We assisted the students in making a water cycle bracelet.  Making the bracelets reinforced what they had just learned about the Water Cycle.

Judy trained several new water monitors and recertified several existing monitors in 2019 – thanks Judy!

Judy and I attended the ACES Alabama Watershed Stewards Workshop and the updated AWW Exploring Our Living Streams Workshop in August. We both completed the 4-H Independent Volunteer curriculum and we are actively implementing an approved Alabama Water Watch program at Dadeville High School.

 Along with Matt Campbell, Judy and I presented a program to Kiwanis concerning the poultry industry in our watershed.  We used the Enviroscape and numerous publications to talk about the effect a spill from a processing plant or poultry barn could have on Lake Martin and surrounding rivers and streams.

2019 AWW Monitor of the Year (again!) 

The AWW Mullen Award for Monitor of the Year recognizes the volunteer monitor who submitted the most water data records in the past year. AWW awarded the 2019 Mullen Award winner to our very own Janne Debes, who submitted a total of 136 records. You may recall that Janne won the award last year! WOW, that’s a lot of water testing!

Janne was first certified as an AWW water monitor in December 2016. She spends time in both Auburn and Lake Martin and is a member and monitor in both Lake Watch and Save Our Saugahatchee. Oh, along with all of her water testing, Janne also serves as Lake Watch treasurer AND water monitor testing coordinator AND in her spare time, does work on the Lake Watch website!!

Lake Watch Kiosk in Wind Creek State Park

Lake Watch and Wind Creek State Park partnered to create an educational kiosk highlighting:

• Alabama’s WORLD CLASS aquatic biodiversity – we’ve got more species of freshwater fish, crayfish, turtles, snails and mussels than any other state!!,
• Watershed stewardship needed to protect our aquatic treasure, and,
• How folks can get involved with Lake Watch’s ongoing environmental efforts.

The kiosk was the brainchild of Mary Ann Bronson and the Bronson family provided major funding for the project, supplemented by a donation from Lake Watch. Wind Creek State Park did the hard work of constructing the kiosk, shown below. It is located at the base of the park’s lookout tower. It will inform, educate and inspire thousands of visitors who come to enjoy our Treasured Lake.

Rivers of Alabama Course

Several Lake Watchers participated in a six-week Rivers of Alabama Course organized and sponsored by Lake Martin HOBO. The course was taught by Dr. Bill Deutsch, founder and long-time director of Alabama Water Watch. The course was conducted in Dadeville October through November. The more-than 40 participants learned about the aquatic life, natural and cultural history, and geology of all the major river basins in the state, which is wonderfully presented in Dr. Deutsch’s book Alabama Rivers – A Celebration and Challenge (see http://alabamariversbook.org for more on the book).

Trash Cleanup

The annual Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanup on Lake Martin has removed more than 100 tons of trash from Lake Martin. LMRA president, John Thompson has been coordinating the lake clean up, in coordination with Alabama Power and several other partners since 2006, along with over 2000 volunteers. Ken and Tanya Holland, with Tanya’s sister Tammie McVickers and Tanya’s mother, Shirley Cook (see picture; source: Lake Magazine) were featured in the July 2019 edition of Lake Magazine for going way above and beyond the call of duty in their effort to clean up the lake. They spend several weekends before the official cleanup collecting and bagging trash in sloughs for easy pickup during the ROR cleanup. Ken and Tanya became some of our newest Lake Watch water monitors this past fall – welcome aboard and many thanks to the Hollands, et al.!

Closing Thoughts

YOU are what makes Lake Watch of Lake Martin work! We urge each of our Lake Watch members to spread the word on Lake Watch, to support our programs and to participate. Renew your membership! Help sign up new members to our team! Consider an additional donation to Lake Watch! Not everyone can get out and monitor water or teach in a classroom, but each member is essential to our success. Together, we can and will make a difference in the protection of our lake, in water conservation and clean water advocacy, and in the world we leave for our children. If every Lake Watch member encourages one or two friends to join in our efforts, it will go a long way toward ensuring the continuation of the good work we've accomplished over the past 28 years. Go visit your neighbor and sign him or her up. Or send your neighbor to our website, www.lakewatch.org to sign up. Better yet, bring them to our annual meeting on February 23^rd where they can hear about our work first-hand!

Dues Reminder

Take the plunge, if you haven’t already!  

• Protect Lake Martin by supporting Lake Watch!
• And ask a neighbor to do the same!

 For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already sent in their dues for 2019, thank you!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to send your check to:

 P. O. Box 72, Alexander City, AL 35010

 to keep your membership current. Membership levels are listed below:

 Regular dues (annual):     Student  $10      Individual  $15         Family  $25

 Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50      Gold  $100                Platinum  $250

 We also welcome donations.  Don't forget–a donation in someone's honor/memory is a lovely gift/tribute.

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin 
No. 54, January 2019

by Eric Reutebuch

LAKE WATCHER

Lake Watch Annual Meeting  February 17, 2019      

The Lake Watch Annual Meeting will be Sunday, February 17, 2019, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the StillWaters Residential Association Centre inside StillWaters Resort (1816 StillWaters Drive, Dadeville, AL; map and directions below). The meeting will be followed by a social from 3:30-4:00 pm, with hors d'oeuvres, dessert and beverages, BYOB if you desire.  We ask that you pre-register online so that we have a head count to prepare adequate seating and refreshments.

Register for the meeting at www.lakewatch.org . Click the Events menu on the left side of the homepage, then under Annual Meeting click Please register, then the Register button, and follow instructions – be sure to add the proper number of ‘guests’ if you are bringing a spouse or friend(s) with you. Or, if you prefer, send an e-mail to us at info@lakewatch.org to let us know that you plan to attend, and we’ll register you. Once you’ve registered, please check in at the door at the meeting for an agenda, to update your Lake Watch contact info if needed, and for newbees – to become a Lake Watch member.

We are pleased to have Cindy Lowry, Executive Director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance (http://alabamarivers.org ) as our guest speaker. Cindy will update us on the status of the development of a statewide water plan, a recent court ruling on relicensing of Coosa river dams and its relevance to Lake Martin.  Lake Watch president, Eric Reutebuch, will follow with a brief overview of results from our 2018 Lake Watch water quality monitoring throughout the lake.

Directions to StillWaters Residential Association Building: From Dadeville take Hwy 49 south, turn into StillWaters onto Moonbrook Drive, take Moonbrook Drive to StillWaters Drive, turn right on StillWaters Drive, the StillWaters Residential Association Building will be on your left.

 Lake Watch Leadership and Budget

 Changes in our board in 2018 included the loss of board of director Dave Hagan, who moved to Opelika, and the addition of Joanne Walker to replace Dave – THANK YOU Dave for your many years of service on the board, and THANK YOU Joanne for stepping up to replace him!

 Lake Watch budget: end-of-year balance as of 12/31/2017 = $6,022; 2018 expenditures = $2,374; 2018 donations and dues = $2,650, end-of-year balance as of 12/31/2018 = $6,298 ($4,419 general budget + $1879 remaining in the Bronson Environmental Education fund). A big THANK YOU to all who’ve sent their annual dues in, especially to those who have donated at the Silver ($50; eight donors), Gold ($100; two donors; and Platinum ($250; two donors). As you probably know, most of the Lake Watch budget is spent on the purchase of water testing supplies. Membership funds are also used to cover costs to spread the word of watershed stewardship, water conservation, to advocate for clean water, and to encourage others to join in our efforts. The website, newsletter, and teaching supplies are all part of these costs.

 Water Monitoring

Judy Palfrey serves as Lake Watch water monitoring volunteer coordinator, ensuring that Lake Watch monitors have adequate supplies to do their water testing. Judy is also a monitor, and tests at multiple sites. THANK YOU Judy!

Lake Watch gained a new AWW-certified water monitor in 2018, Leanne Green.  Lake Watch volunteer monitors have increased monitoring throughout the lake and tributaries to 200 water tests (155 water chemistry records, and 45 bacteria records; compared to 121 records last year) at 20 sites (down from 25 sites last year) from Coley Creek down to Martin Dam. Although fewer sites are monitored now relative to 2017, the distribution of monitoring sites has improved, now covering the Kowaliga arm of the lake (see maps below– green markers are active sites, red dots are inactive sites).

2017 SITES: 

2018 SITES: 

As you might expect, and hope, the vast majority of the Lake Watch data show that Lake Martin is clean and in excellent shape, though a few of the readings do indicate a couple of problem areas. Two parameters in particular, low dissolved oxygen (DO) and the presence of E. coli bacteria in the water, have indicated problems in a few areas.

Low DO is a problem for fish that ‘breathe’ in oxygen dissolved in the water through their gills. If DO readings fall below the state-mandated minimum of 5 parts per million (ppm), fish and other aquatic critters suffer, and could even die. Of the 155 water chemistry records taken over the past year by Lake Watch, only three were below 5 ppm. This represents 1.9% of all readings, meaning that for 98% of the monitoring, the DO was at healthy levels. The three low readings ranged from 4.1- 4.4 ppm, not low enough to kill fish, but low enough to negatively impact fish health. These measurements were obtained at Lake Watch site 07001007 at Smith Landing on Sandy Creek Embayment (where Sandy Creek enters the lake).

E. coli bacteria are considered a threat to human health when levels rise above 235 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water, according to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the state’s environmental protection agency. There were five instances when Lake Watch monitors got readings above 235 E. coli/100 mL of water, which represents 11% of all bacteria readings taken over the past year. None of these high E. coli readings were found in the lake, all occurred at stream sites. Four of the five readings were at Lake Watch site 07001041 in a small tributary stream of Chattasofka Creek near the Dadeville High School, readings ranged from 333-600 E. coli/100 mL, which prompted a follow-up investigation by local officials. They discovered and removed a dead animal from the stream, and the bacterial contamination of the stream has cleared up – YEAH! The one other site where one high reading occurred, a reading of 1,900 E. coli/100 mL (YIKES), was at Lake Watch site 07001053 on Sandy Creek upstream of the Highway 49 bridge. This very high reading was obtained in February 2018, shortly after a high rainfall/runoff event, emphasizing the recommendation from the Alabama Department of Public Health to avoid swimming in streams, rivers and embayments after a high rain event (evident by the presence of muddy water).

In conclusion, the lake continues to have occasional water quality problems in the Sandy Creek Embayment relative to DO levels, but no problems with bacteria (E. coli) contamination. Significant E. coli contamination has occurred in the Chattasofka Creek Watershed and occasionally in Sandy Creek (note, Chattasofka Creek flows into Sandy Creek). These problems underscore the need for continued water monitoring of the lake and its tributary streams to ensure that humans, fish and other aquatic critters are not harmed, and to ensure that we maintain our Treasured Lake status!

Note that some areas of the lake still go unmonitored, particularly the tributary streams flowing into the lake, as folks move away and long-time volunteers retire their test kits, so we are always in need of new water monitors. If you think it’s a necessity to have an insurance policy for your home and your car, think the same way about your lake – insure it through your involvement and investment in lake stewardship by becoming a Lake Watch supporter, and consider becoming a water monitor. Visit the Alabama Water Watch website at www.alabamawaterwatch.org for information on water testing and registration for free workshops held throughout the year, or email Eric at reuteem@auburn.edu.

Lake Watch Environmental Education Efforts
By Dianna Porter

Lake Watch environmental educators had a fun year teaching children and adults about our water and the environment. Judy Palfrey and Dianna Porter joined the fun at Montgomery Zoo Earth Day celebration. They put Lake Watch’s new Enviroscape to great use, showing and teaching a few hundred students, teachers and parents about nonpoint source pollution and what ‘loving thy downstream neighbor’ really means. 

Then came the Tallapoosa County Water Festival the next week at Wind Creek State Park. Two days of teaching 4th grade children the water cycle. The students also learned about aquafers, water safety, fish, how to paddle a kayak (see pic to the right: Tom Collier prepping youngsters for their first voyage), and litter awareness and clean-up.

 4-H RiverKids was a great success this year, the kids and some adults learned about pH and turbidity (see picture to the left: Dianna teaching kids how to test the water using the AWW test kit).

 In the fall Judy Palfrey had a great day of teaching with the Enviroscape at the Dadeville Fall Festival.  She also brought her show case of aquatic macroinvertebrates which resulted in a lot of "ewws" and awes coming from the kids. Judy and Dianna emphasized caring for the environment, and student involvement. The Tiger Network News team from Dadeville Elementary School filmed at Keebler Park.

Dianna assisted AWW staff, teachers from Horseshoe Bend school, a Master Gardener and 30 6th graders to conduct a Living Streams sampling event to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates in Timbergut Creek near the school in October. The group collected lots of aquatic macroinvertebrates from all three ranking groups, indicative of a healthy stream. Students observed conditions of the stream and the surrounding area, had a great time, and learned a lot about watershed sampling and watershed stewardship.

The year wrapped up with the Dadeville High School Environmental Science Club spending a day at Keebler Park learning about storm water runoff and then implementing stormwater runoff control structures.  The students built brush berms in gullies to slow rainwater runoff.  They will continue to monitor their efforts and make improvements throughout the school year. The students also learned about habitat creation and we built two large brush berms. Bryan Henry from WSFA News surprised us with a visit, the piece aired December 12th.

2018 AWW Monitor of the Year

The AWW Mullen Award for Monitor of the Year recognizes the volunteer monitor who submitted the most water data records in the past year. AWW awarded the 2018 Mullen Award winner to our very own Janne Debes, who submitted a total of 97 records (76 chemistry, 21 bacteria), WOW, that’s a lot of water testing!

Janne was first certified as an AWW water monitor in December 2016. She spends time in both Auburn and at Lake Martin and is a member and monitor in both Lake Watch and Save Our Saugahatchee. Oh, and she also serves as our Lake Watch Treasurer!

Spreading the Word at Wind Creek

Working in partnership with Superintendent Bruce Adams at Wind Creek State Park over the past few months, Lake Watch is sponsoring the creation of a kiosk with three displays highlighting:

Alabama’s world class aquatic biodiversity,

Watershed stewardship needed to protect our aquatic treasure, and,

How folks can get involved with Lake Watch’s ongoing environmental efforts.

The kiosk was the brainchild of Mary Ann Bronson, the brains of the operation, and the Bronson family is providing the majority of the funding for the project, supplemented by a donation by Lake Watch. Wind Creek State Park is doing the hard work of constructing the kiosk. We hope that it will inform, educate and inspire thousands of visitors who come to enjoy our Treasured Lake. Here are the three panels that will be displayed in the kiosk:

And here is a rough draft of the completed kiosk:

When completed (hopefully later this winter or early spring), it will be located at the base of the park’s lookout tower.

Lake Watch Helping Push Water Policy Forward

Lake Watch received a request from Alabama Rivers Alliance (ARA), urging individuals and groups to sign on to ARA’s comments to the ‘roadmap’ for a state water management plan that the Water Resources Commission (WRC) completed for the governor. The governor terminated AWAWG, the Alabama Water Agency Working Group – the alliance of five key state agencies overseeing water management in the state – in late 2017, after AWAWG had spent several years in meetings, data collection, deliberation, and report-writing for the formation of a comprehensive statewide water management plan. The WRC is under the Office of Water Resources (OWR), who, arguably, should have developed strong proactive water management policies and a state water plan decades ago. In other words, the governor essentially reverted back to the status quo.

Comments compiled by the ARA urge the Commission and the governor to use the extensive information and reports generated by AWAWG (that you and I paid for), and go beyond the status quo, and include meaningful, protective legislation in a statewide water management plan. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of this extremely important effort.

Closing Thoughts

YOU are what makes Lake Watch of Lake Martin work! We urge each of our Lake Watch members to spread the word on Lake Watch, to support our programs and to participate. Renew your membership! Help sign up new members to our team! Consider an additional donation to Lake Watch! Not everyone can get out and monitor water or teach in a classroom, but each member is essential to our success. Together, we can and will make a difference in the protection of our lake, in water conservation and clean water advocacy, and in the world we leave for our children. If every Lake Watch member encourages one or two friends to join in our efforts, it will go a long way toward ensuring the continuation of the good work we've accomplished over the past 27 years. Go visit your neighbor and sign him or her up. Or send your neighbor to our website, www.lakewatch.org to sign up. Better yet, bring them to our annual meeting on February 17th where they can hear about our work first-hand!

Dues Reminder

Take the plunge, if you haven’t already!

• Protect Lake Martin by supporting Lake Watch!
• And ask a neighbor to do the same!

For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already sent in their dues for 2019, thank you!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to send your check to:

P. O. Box 72, Alexander City, AL 35010

to keep your membership current. Membership levels are listed below:

Regular dues (annual):     Student  $10      Individual  $15         Family  $25

Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50     Gold  $100                 Platinum  $250

We also welcome donations.  Don't forget–a donation in someone's honor/memory is a lovely gift/tribute.

Lake Watcher

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin
No. 53, January 2018

by Eric Reutebuch 

2017 Achievements:

• 25 sites monitored for water chemistry and bacteria in the Lake Martin Watershed
• 121 data records submitted to the AWW water quality database
• Provided bacteria monitoring data to the Swim Guide, www.theswimguide.org
• Educated hundreds of children and adults about lake and watershed stewardship

Lake Watch Annual Meeting, March 4, 2018

The Lake Watch Annual Meeting will be Sunday, March 4, 2018, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the StillWaters Residential Association Centre inside StillWaters Resort (1816 StillWaters Drive, Dadeville, AL; map and directions below). Lunch will be at 1 pm, catered fried catfish fillets with fixins. We ask that you pre-register online so that we have a head count in order to accurately order food.

 Register for the meeting at www.lakewatch.org. Click the Events menu on the left side of the homepage, then click the Register button, be sure to add ‘guests’ if you are bringing a spouse or friend(s) with you. Or, if you prefer, send an e-mail to us at info@lakewatch.org to let us know that you plan to attend, and we’ll register you. Once you’ve registered, please pay at the door when you come to the meeting.

The Lake Watch Board askes that everyone donate a nominal fee of $10.00 per person to cover the cost of our lunch plus an unexpected rental charge for the building to preserve our membership dues and other donations for water quality and watershed stewardship purposes. We plan to have Dr. Bill Deutsch as our guest speaker to give us a sneak-peak of his new book Rivers of Alabama, with emphasis on the Tallapoosa River Basin.  Lake Watch president, Eric Reutebuch, will give an overview of results from our 2017 Lake Watch water quality monitoring throughout the lake.

Directions to StillWaters Residential Association Building: From Dadeville take Hwy 49 south, turn into StillWaters onto Moonbrook Drive, take Moonbrook Drive to StillWaters Drive, turn right on StillWaters Drive, the StillWaters Residential Association Building will be on your left (see red dot on map).

Special Thanks to People Working to Spread Watershed Stewardship

Judy Palfrey serves as Lake Watch water monitoring volunteer coordinator, ensuring that Lake Watch monitors have adequate supplies to do their water testing.

Judy is also a monitor, and tests at multiple sites. She also continues to work with Dadeville grade school and middle school children to teach them about watershed stewardship, water monitoring and “Living Streams” – analysis of the aquatic critters that signify that the water is healthy or, by their absence, indicate pollution. Lastly, she has educated the public at booths at several events using the Enviroscape to teach adults as well as children about nonpoint source pollution and its negative impacts on our waters. If you think you'd like to become a monitor or environmental educator, talk with Judy!

Dick and Mary Ann Bronson, Raymond and Zelma dePasquale, and George Zorn continue to support the Gifted Student teacher at Pelham Oaks Elementary School in the Birmingham area over the last 3 years.  Programs include ‘Living Streams’ for Gifted classes 3-4-5, taking the students on hikes in Oak Mountain State Park, and accompanying them on field trips to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge.  Dick also continues to take Gifted students at Radney Elementary on enviro-hikes on the nature trail behind the school, enhancing learning experiences for the children in the boundless ‘outdoor classroom.’

Dianna Porter has been working with students at Keebler Park in Dadeville. Thirty students from Dadeville High School learned about rainwater runoff and how to build a rain garden from Dr. Eve Brantly at AU.  After the class, students installed a rain garden at Keebler Park.  The park is in the process of becoming a park that can be used as an outdoor classroom. 

Lake Watch Leadership and Budget

Changes in our board in 2017 included the addition of Janne Debes to the board, replacing Laurel Goldsmith as Lake Watch treasurer and website manager – THANK YOU Janne for stepping up!

A big THANK YOU to all who’ve sent their annual dues in, especially to those who have donated at the Silver ($50; 5 donors), Gold ($100; 2 donors; and Platinum ($250; 1 donor). As you know, the greatest part of the Lake Watch budget is spent on the purchase of water testing supplies. In addition to water testing kits and supplies, membership funds are used to cover our costs to spread the word of watershed stewardship, water conservation, to advocate for clean water, and to encourage others to join in the effort. The website, newsletter, and teaching supplies are all part of those costs.

Water Monitoring

Lake Watch gained 7 new AWW-certified water monitors in 2017, Joanne Walker, Janne Debes, Dianna Porter and Ed and Marge Sloan, Allen Sneed, Jr., and Veta Christy.  Lake Watch volunteer monitors have increased water testing throughout the lake to 25 sites (up from 18 sites last year) from Horseshoe Bend down to Martin Dam (see map at right – green makers are active sites, red dots are inactive sites).

Lake Watch benefitted from Alabama Water Watch’s Tiger

Day of Giving – through the efforts of Ed Sloan who submitted an application for monitoring supplies to the program. Ed received a free AWW water chemistry test kit, which he has been sharing with Eric Reutebuch and Ed Eisworth – thanks Ed S. for sharing, and thanks AWW for the kit!

Results in 2017 indicated that Martin remains clean and healthy, with good dissolved oxygen levels to maintain a healthy community of aquatic critters (as well as good levels of pH, alkalinity and hardness). Bacteriological testing indicated only 2 of 28 tests with elevated levels of E. coli., one in Little Sandy Creek and another in a small tributary that flows into Chattasofka Creek. All readings in Lake Martin were quite low and safe.

Key areas of the lake have gone silent, particularly the Kowaliga side of the lake, as long-time volunteers retire their test kits, so we are in need of new water monitors. If you think it’s a necessity to have an insurance policy for your car, think the same way about your lake – insure it through your involvement in lake stewardship by becoming a Lake Watch supporter, and consider becoming a water monitor. Visit the Alabama Water Watch website at www.alabamawaterwatch.org for information on water testing and registration for free workshops held throughout the year, or email Eric at reuteem@auburn.edu.

Closing Thoughts

YOU are what makes Lake Watch of Lake Martin work! We urge each of our Lake Watch members to spread the word on Lake Watch, to support our programs and to participate. Renew your membership! Help sign up new members to our team! Consider an additional donation to Lake Watch! Not everyone can get out and monitor water or teach in a classroom, but each member is essential to our success. Together, we can and will make a difference in the protection of our lake, in water conservation and clean water advocacy, and in the world we leave for our children. If every Lake Watch member encourages one or two friends to join in our efforts, it will go a long way toward ensuring the continuation of the good work we've accomplished over the past 25 years. Go visit your neighbor and sign him or her up. Or send your neighbor to our website, www.lakewatch.org to sign up. Better yet, bring them to our annual meeting on March 4^th where they can hear about our work first-hand!

 Dues Reminder

Take the plunge, if you haven’t already! 

Protect Lake Martin by supporting Lake Watch!

And ask a neighbor to do the same!

For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already sent in their dues for 2018, thank you!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to send your check to:

P. O. Box 72 Alexander City, AL 35010

to keep your membership current. Membership levels are listed below:

Regular dues (annual):     Student  $10      Individual  $15         Family  $25

Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50     Gold  $100                 Platinum  $250

We also welcome donations.  Don't forget–a donation in someone's honor/memory is a lovely gift/tribute.

Lake Watcher

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin
No. 52, January 2017

by Eric Reutebuch and Matt Campbell

2016 ACHIEVEMENTS:

• 18 sites monitored for water chemistry and bacteria in the Lake Martin Watershed
• 115 data records submitted to the AWW water quality database
• Provided bacteria monitoring data to the Swim Guide, www.theswimguide.org
• Educated hundreds of children and adults about lake and watershed stewardship

Lake Watch Annual Meeting February 19, 2017     

The Lake Watch Annual Meeting will be Sunday, February 19, 2017, 1 pm to 3:30 pm at the StillWaters Residential Association Centre inside StillWaters Resort (1816 StillWaters Drive, Dadeville, AL; map and directions below). Lunch will be catered and we ask that you pre-register so that we have a head count in order to accurately order food.

Also, the Board has asked that everyone donate a nominal fee of $8.00 per person to cover the cost of our BBQ lunch so that our dues and donations are used for water quality and watershed stewardship purposes. To register, go to www.lakewatch.org. Click the Events menu on the left side of the homepage, then click the Register button. Click the Add guest button to add a person, if needed, then Confirm. Ignore the ‘Invoice not paid’ message - you can mail in your luncheon payment with your annual dues or pay at the meeting but please do take the time to register for the meeting. Or, if you prefer, send an e-mail to us at membership@lakewatch.org to let us know that you plan to attend. Mr. Jimmy Lanier, Founder of the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association (CRATA), our guest speaker, will inform us on the latest developments on new trails and an interpretive facility at Smith Mountain fire tower and how those interested can help make it all happen.  Lake Watch president, Eric Reutebuch, will give an overview of results from our Lake Watch water quality monitoring throughout the lake.

Directions to StillWaters Residential Association Building: From Dadeville take Hwy 49 south, turn into StillWaters onto Moonbrook Drive, take Moonbrook Drive to StillWaters Drive, turn right on StillWaters Drive, the StillWaters Residential Association Building will be on your left (see red dot on map).

Lake Watch 25^th Anniversary Celebration 

Last year marked Lake Watch of Lake Martin’s 25^th anniversary! Lake Watchers gathered at Camp ASCCA last October to reminisce and celebrate.  Dr. Bill Deutsch, former director of Alabama Water Watch, was our keynote speaker. He took us on a journey across the years highlighting his move to Alabama, the beginnings of AWW and Lake Watch of Lake Martin. It was a delight to have Bill tell us his story of the "water spirit" (AWW’s logo, the caddisfly or Hydropsyche – meaning, you guessed it, water-spirit), working locally and around the world through Global Water Watch, working with people dealing with water issues that have benefited from GWW’s community-based watershed stewardship approach.

The gathering of veterans and newbees were then treated to the story of the group’s formation, major challenges, and achievements by Lake Watch founder and long-time president, Dick Bronson. Dick’s unwavering commitment to Lake Martin and his leadership of Lake Watch in clean water advocacy has made a huge difference over the years in stopping pollution from entering the lake, and encouraging compliance by our towns, contractors and homeowners around the lake to ensure that the effluent and runoff that flows into the lake meets water quality standards. The volume of data that our Lake Watch monitors have gathered has been key in bringing problems of point source pollution and polluted run-off to the attention of those entities that can initiate action to get water problems resolved. In the APCo Lake Martin Dam relicensing, Lake Watch representatives were fully engaged throughout the process, participating in countless MIG (Martin Issue Group) meetings, advocating for maintenance of the lake’s excellent water quality, as well as for maintenance of more favorable lake levels in the fall and winter.

The crème de la crème – TAL! From two decades of water monitoring on the lake by Alabama Water Watch-trained monitors, Lake Watch knew that the lake was at the top of the list of clean lakes in the state. Dick wanted to keep it that way, and began lobbying ADEM for a special designation for the lake to protect its waters in perpetuity. Through meetings, discussions, letters, and sheer persistence, working with Director LeFleur at ADEM, Dick saw the fruits of his labors pay off at Children’s Harbor in December of 2010, when then-Governor Bob Riley signed into law a new designation to protect reservoirs of exceptional quality, Treasured Alabama Lake (TAL). Soon to follow, Lake Martin was designated as the first TAL in the state in early 2011 – a HUGE Victory for the lake and its residents! TAL protects Lake Martin through strict statute limitations on point and nonpoint pollution sources both now and in perpetuity.

The 25^th anniversary celebration ended with a proud ovation, and this message: “Thank you Dick and Mary Ann Bronson for being tireless stewards of Lake Martin. You continue to inspire us to do our part in preserving and protecting its waters, now and for generations to come.”

Special Thanks to People Working to Spread the Water-Stewardship Word

Judy Palfrey serves as Lake Watch water monitoring volunteer coordinator, ensuring that Lake Watch monitors have adequate supplies to do their work. Judy is also a monitor, and tests at multiple sites. She also continues to work with Dadeville grade school and middle school children to teach them about watershed stewardship, water monitoring and “Living Streams” – analysis of the aquatic “bugs” that signify that our water systems are healthy or, by their absence, disclose the ill-effects of pollution on them, and other aquatic creatures. If you think you'd like to become a monitor or environmental educator, talk with Judy!

Dick & Mary Ann Bronson and Raymond & Zelma dePasquale, together with Radney teacher - Laurie Barrett, continue to meet regularly with the Radney Elementary middle school children, giving of their time and seemingly unending energy toward enhancing learning experiences for the children in the boundless ‘outdoor classroom.’

Lastly, we are excited about Mona Dominguez, Alabama Water Watch coordinator of the 4-H AWW Program, working with Debra Stewart on introducing AWW water testing and watershed stewardship to youth through the 4-H Club. This most promising and exciting program is bringing the water stewardship message to children in the counties around Lake Martin, and will include canoe and kayak outings on our rivers and streams.. Go to www.alabamawaterwatch.org and click ENVIRO ED to learn more.

Lake Watch Budget

As you know, the greatest part of the Lake Watch budget is spent on the purchase of water testing supplies. Special THANKS to Lake Martin HOBO for their contribution to Lake Watch for our water monitoring program. In addition to water testing kits and supplies, membership funds are used to cover our costs to spread the word of watershed stewardship, water conservation, to advocate for clean water, and to encourage others to join in the effort. The website, newsletter, and teaching supplies are all part of those costs.

Lake Watch Leadership

Our board will see some changes in the coming year. Laurel Goldsmith, our long time Treasurer, board member, website guru, and organizer extraordinaire, is moving. Special thanks to Laurel for a job well-done! And to Sonny for his steadfast support and assistance! Best wishes to you, Laurel and Sonny! The Nominating Committee is searching for replacements, specifically, treasurer and a website manager. If you can assist, contact Eric at reuteem@auburn.edu.

Water Monitoring

Lake Watch volunteer monitors continue water testing throughout the lake at 18 sites, from Horseshoe Bend down to The Ridge. Key areas of the lake have gone silent, particularly the Kowaliga side of the lake, as long-time volunteers retire their test kits, so we are in need of new water monitors. If you think it’s a necessity to have an insurance policy for your car, think the same way about your lake – insure it through your involvement in lake stewardship by becoming a Lake Watch supporter, and consider becoming a water monitor. Visit the Alabama Water Watch website at www.alabamawaterwatch.org for information on water testing and registration for free workshops held throughout the year, or email Eric at reuteem@auburn.edu.

Closing Thoughts

YOU are what makes Lake Watch of Lake Martin work! We urge each of our Lake Watch members to spread the word on Lake Watch, to support our programs and to participate. Renew your membership! Help sign up new members to our team! Consider an additional donation to Lake Watch! Not everyone can get out and monitor water or teach in a classroom, but each member is essential to our success. Together, we can and will make a difference in the protection of our lake, in water conservation and clean water advocacy, and in the world we leave for our children. If every Lake Watch member encourages one or two friends to join in our efforts, it will go a long way toward ensuring the continuation of the good work we've accomplished over the past 25 years. Go visit your neighbor and sign him or her up. Or send your neighbor to our website, www.lakewatch.org to sign up. Better yet, bring them to our annual meeting on Feb 19^th where they can hear about our work first-hand!

Dues Reminder

Take the plunge, if you haven’t already!

• Protect Lake Martin by supporting Lake Watch!
• And ask a neighbor to do the same!

 For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already sent in their dues for 2017, thank you!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to send your check to:

 P. O. Box 72 Alexander City, AL 35010

 to keep your membership current. Membership levels are listed below:

 Regular dues (annual):     Student  $10      Individual  $15         Family  $25

 Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50     Gold  $100                 Platinum  $250

 We also welcome donations.  Don't forget–a donation in someone's honor/memory is a lovely gift/tribute.

Lake Watcher

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin                                     No. 51, January 2016

2015 Achievements:

• 22 sites monitored for water chemistry and bacteria in the Lake Martin Watershed
• 102 data records submitted to the AWW water quality database
• First set of bacteria monitoring data sent from Lake Watch to the Swim Guide, www.theswimguide.org
• Hundreds of children and adults educated on lake and watershed stewardship

Lake Watch Annual Meeting Set for February 21, 2016

The Lake Watch Annual Meeting will be Sunday, February 21, 2016, noon to 2:30 pm at the StillWaters Residential Association Centre inside StillWaters Resort (1816 StillWaters Drive, Dadeville, AL; map and directions below). The meal will be catered and we ask that you pre-register so that we have a good count in order to accurately order food.

 Also, the Board has asked that everyone donate a nominal fee of $7.50 per person to cover the cost of our catfish dinner so that our dues and donations are used for water quality and watershed stewardship purposes. To pre-register, go to www.lakewatch.org. Click the Events menu on the left side of the homepage, then click the Register button. You may send your luncheon payment with your dues or pay at the meeting but please do take the time to preregister for the meeting. Or, if you prefer, send an e-mail to us at membership@lakewatch.org to let us know that you plan to attend.

 Lance LeFleur, the Director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, is this year's guest speaker. Mr. LeFleur was the owner of a Mobile recycling business when he was appointed as Director, ADEM in April 2010...just in time to be selected by Governor Riley as point-man for Alabama in response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf.  It was a hectic time in his career, and a time he likely would have preferred to miss.  It was several weeks before he could get to the agency in Montgomery and meet his staff. Since that time, he has been a breath of fresh air compared to several past directors.  It was largely through his willingness to hear pleas from Lake Watch that we were successful in attaining Treasured Alabama Lake (TAL) designation for Lake Martin. Director LeFleur has been asked to speak briefly on specific TAL rules that help protect our lake.  He also will likely address the adverse impact on recent funding cuts made by the Alabama Legislature and his response to those cuts.

Directions to the StillWaters Residential Association Building: From Hwy 49, south of the Hwy 49- CR 34 intersection, turn into StillWaters onto Moonbrook Drive,

-          Take Moonbrook Drive to StillWaters Drive,

-          Turn right on StillWaters Drive, the StillWaters Residential Association Building will be on your left (see red dot on map):

Our board will see some changes in the coming year.  President Kathryn Braund is completing her three-year term and Eric Reutebuch has been nominated as her replacement.  Secretary Zelma DePasquale is also retiring from the board and Diana Porter has accepted a nomination for that position.  The Nominating Committee has presented three nominations for board vacancies: Zelma DePasquale, Dick Bronson, and Judy Palfrey.

Our Year in Review

Kathryn Braund, Lake Watch President

Lake Watch members have been busy over the past year. Under the direction of our Volunteer Monitor Coordinator, Judy Palfrey, our certified water quality monitors test sites from Horseshoe Bend down to above the Martin dam and report results to Alabama Water Watch's database (see map on page 5).

We have lost some of our most dedicated and experienced monitors this year to retirement but fortunately, we have new volunteers to help fill the gaps.  But, as always, we are eager for new volunteers to continue the work that is the very core of our mission.  In addition to monthly testing, our volunteers have worked on educational projects for local children, including the Living Streams program.  Lake Watch is a member of the Middle Tallapoosa River Basin Clean Water Partnership and we have worked with the Lake Martin Home and Boat Owners Association on a variety of local issues. In addition, Lake Watch members prepare items relating to lake quality for Lake Magazine.

One important issue of concern over the past year was the discovery of "brown frothy material" in Sandy Creek near the Hwy 49 bridge and in StillWaters.  Bacteriological testing did not reveal the presence of E. coli, but our volunteers continue to be vigilant and respond to bacteriological threats to our lake and associated streams. 

 In December, we received the welcome news that FERC issued Alabama Power a new 30-year license to operate Martin Dam, approving the company’s proposal to raise the winter water level by three feet and, if there is sufficient water available, to extend the summer water level into the fall. Alabama Power also plans several recreational enhancements around the lake as part of the new license. Implementation of the new license takes effect on January 20, 2016, after a 30-day review period.

 As we continue to monitor the local watershed and speak out on issues that would impact water quality, we continue to seek your support through your dues and your help with our organization. We are always eager for active volunteers. If you are interested in helping with meetings, the newsletter, our website or our Face Book page, or other activities or wish to become a volunteer water monitor, please contact us at info@lakewatch.org.  

 Be sure to check out our website at www.lakewatch.org. Our site allows members to renew their dues, make donations, update their contact information, as well as access information about our organization, including a list of our Lake Watch water test sites, research reports (focused on Lake Martin), information on how to volunteer, news and events relating to our mission, and handy links and maps. You can also keep up with us on Facebook. Be sure and “like” our page and keep up with news of members and articles of interest. Feel free to post your lake photos and items of interest on our page.

 So, Who’s Watching the Water?

Eric Reutebuch and Ann Campbell

 Water chemistry monitors test and report important variables that indicate the health of the lake and its incoming tributary streams and Tallapoosa River, including pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, hardness and turbidity. Bacteriological monitors test for E.coli which indicates fecal contamination in water, and at certain levels, waters that are unsafe for swimming. Alabama Water Watch at Auburn University receives Lake Watch data from individual volunteers and maintains permanent computer records for each site.

 Here’s an overview of the nuts and bolts of expenses to keep our monitoring program operating:

 Water Chemistry Monitoring:

Primary supplier is LaMotte.  Current method is to order chemicals on a quarterly basis as needed to save on shipping costs, but monitors often request special orders.   

• Full kit including case, glassware, thermometer and reagents ~  $290.00 
• Secchi disk & line with weight from Ben Meadows: $50
• Full set of water chemistry reagents ~  $97
• Remote sampler made by a local manufacturer for AWW:  $75

 Bacteriological Monitoring:

Primary supplier is Micrology Labs.

Estimated cost to equip an active bacterial monitor for the season (May – Sept), five months, for one site is approximately $50 plus tax and shipping.   In accordance with the guidelines set out by ADEM, Lake Watch of Lake Martin, along with other water monitoring groups in the state, takes a sabbatical on bacterial monitoring beginning in October and returning to our regular monthly monitoring routine in May. The Coliscan Easygel growth medium must be kept frozen until sampling time. The bacterial testing requires that the monitor use an incubator to grow bacteria in sample petri dishes and report bacteria count results to AWW. An incubator can be easily made by the monitor with an inexpensive ice chest/cooler, night light and thermometer. 

 *Note: all these costs are at current year prices which tend to go up a bit each year. 

 Bottom Line:

Although current monitors are adding water quality data from the Lake Martin Watershed to the AWW database, as our veterans retire their kits, WE NEED NEW MONITORS to join our Lake Watch team. If you want to get in on the fun of monitoring our Treasured Lake and its tributaries, go to the Alabama Water Watch website www.alabamawaterwatch.org and sign up for a workshop for water chemistry monitoring or bacteriological monitoring or steam biomonitoring, or better yet, all three!    Once you’re certified, go to the Lake Watch website at www.lakewatch.org and contact our volunteer monitor coordinator to make arrangements to select a site (or sites) of your preference and Lake Watch will order supplies for you.  Then once your site information is submitted to AWW, you’ll be set up for data input into the AWW website, and you’ll be ready to go! I guarantee that you’ll get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside – knowing that you are doing your part in protecting our Treasured Lake for all to enjoy!

Lake Watch sites monitored in 2015 – WOW, great job monitors!:

(click here to access the list)

Lake Watch water quality monitoring sites from Horseshoe Bend down to Martin Dam. Green dots = active sites (site number = last two digits of AWW site code), red dots = inactive sites.

The Frenches

Dick Bronson, Lake Watch Board member, LW founder and former long-time President

 I first “met” the French’s when they sent me a membership check nearly 20 years ago.  The funny part was, they sent it from their home in Missouri, and it took me a few years to actually meet them when they retired and came to the lake. They built their house in the Windover area of the lake, continued their membership, and began attending every Lake Watch meeting and training session possible.  They took the Alabama Water Watch training in chemical testing in May 1999 and adopted a test site near the old Kowaliga Bridge in an area of the lake that needed data on water quality.

 They’ve been loyal water quality monitors since that time, having submitted more than 270 monthly test reports (= 22 ½ years of monitoring!) to the AWW website.  In addition to their dedication to keeping track of water quality in the southern part of the lake, they were always available to help with environmental education projects with local school children, including Living Streams programs at Camp ASCCA.  It was there that Diana’s school teacher experience came to the fore, and David’s former law enforcement experience didn’t hurt either when trying to keep kids focused on their tasks.  But mostly it was their infectious love of life that was evident to anyone who saw them at work with young people.

 As with all of us, Father Time began catching up with Diana and David…the aches & pains increased, and they decided to hang up their “monitor spurs” and let someone else continue their good works.  They will still be around…just not quite as active.  And their legacy is already written…THEY DID GOOD!

Environmental Education in the Lake Martin Watershed, and Beyond

Judy Palfrey, Lake Watch Water Monitoring Coordinator and Dick Bronson, Lake Watch Board member, Lake Watch founder and former long-time President

Water quality and learning about macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects, snails, crayfish and clams) were taught to Dadeville Elementary after-school science club children by Judy Palfrey and her daughter, Heather Williams. Using Judy's bug box, the children were taught about the bugs and given clay to make their own. At the end of the term, the diorama was finished and placed in the entrance of the school. Alexander City Outlook came out and wrote an article about the event.

As well as learning about the bugs, an Enviroscape (provided by Tallapoosa County Extension Service) was used to teach about pollution. Also, Judy worked with the Montgomery Clean City Commission at the Montgomery Zoo. Using the Enviroscape, pollution from point & nonpoint sources was discussed. Students from all over Alabama came to the booth.

Judy and one of City of Montgomery's employees taught at Genetta Park (a reconstructed wetland) to Carver High School students using the Enviroscape. Cynthia discussed trash issues while Judy taught about watershed and point/nonpoint source pollution. Judy and Heather also taught water chemistry using AWW kits to a Dadeville 8^th grade Physical Science class. Pollution from different sources was discussed as well as watersheds and macroinvertebrates.

 Lake Watch volunteers continue to help with a variety of other Environmental Education projects with schools in the local area, including:

• Water quality testing using the LaMotte chemical test kit
• Field trips to Wind Creek State Park where instruction was given on chemical, bacterial and biological water testing

• Field trips to wastewater and drinking water treatment plants (Alexander City)
• Field trip to Martin Dam
• Nature hikes on the trails behind Radney       Elementary School (Alexander City) 

• Preparatory work on  a stream restoration project for Barrett Creek (Radney School)
• Visit and presentation to Radney School Gifted Classes by ADEM Director Lance LeFleur, followed by a hike on the school’s nature trail.

Exciting changes for Alabama Water Watch

Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch Board of Directors member and AWW Director

 Hundreds of citizen monitors volunteer hundreds of hours each year in stewardship of streams, rivers, lakes, bays and bayous statewide. Volunteers trained and certified in water quality monitoring (water chemistry, bacteriological, and/or stream biomonitoring) have tested over 2,300 sites on 800⁺ waterbodies over the past 23 years, submitting over 82,000 water data records to the AWW database, as well working to resolve countless water pollution problems, and education of thousands of youth and adults in aquatic ecology, water quality and watershed stewardship.

2015 turned out to be another year of significant transition for AWW. Our beloved AU Water Resources Center Director, Dr. Sam Fowler, retired after 39 years of service and leadership in the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and then at the AU Water Resources Center. We were very fortunate that Dr. Puneet Srivastava was chosen to replace Dr. Fowler as the Center’s Director. Dr. Srivastava has a long list of impressive credentials and achievements over the past decade in water resources research. We look forward to working with him for many years to come!

 Another MAJOR transition was a total rebuild of the AWW water quality database and online data tools (graphs and maps, see map below). Sergio Ruiz-Córdova, our resident database guru, working with AWW programmer-extraordinaire, Jim Johnson, put in many long hours to build the new faster, better AWW database! For the first time, we can now visualize and query AWW data by watershed, making it easier to interpret and utilize AWW water data.

110 workshops were conducted in 2015, thanks in large part to our dedicated citizen trainers, and our super-workshop-coordinator, Rita Grub. With over 400 new water watchers on the ground, we will get even closer to realizing our vision of having a monitor on every stream, river, lake, bay and bayou in the state.

 Though we are greatly appreciative of ongoing support from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Alabama Agriculture Experiment Station at Auburn University, the long-term viability of AWW still depends on the support of Alabamians…through monitoring, joining the AWW Association, donating, and voicing support of AWW.  If you haven’t already – come join us on our journey! For details on the different ways that you can get involved, visit the AWW website (www.alabamawaterwatch.org).

 I want to thank all of you for all that you do in support of the AWW Program, and preserving our treasured Alabama waters for all to enjoy!

Dues Reminder

 Take the plunge, if you haven’t already!

 Support Lake Watch! And ask a neighbor to do the same!

 For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already sent in their dues for 2016, thank you!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to send a check to: P. O. Box 72 Alexander City, AL 35010 to keep you current. Membership levels are listed below:

 Regular dues (annual):     Student  $10      Individual  $15         Family  $25

 Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50     Gold  $100                 Platinum  $250

 We also welcome donations.  Don't forget–a donation in someone's honor/memory is a lovely gift/tribute.

    P. O.  Box 72

   Alexander City, AL 35010