Assessment of the Water Quality, Hydrology, and Biology of Geneva Lake
Project Number: 9KB30
Project Chief: Dale M. Robertson
Project Topics: Walworth County,
Cooperators: Geneva Lake Environmental Agency
Period of Project: March 1997–Continuing
Problem
 Concerns continue to arise over the potential decline in the water quality of Geneva Lake because of increased urban development and recreational use. To reduce the impact on the lake, efforts have been and are continuing to be made to decrease the point- and nonpoint-source pollution to the lake. As part of past cooperative studies on Geneva Lake, historical water-quality data collected on the lake were assembled and compared with that collected by the USGS from 1997 through 1999. Empirical eutrophication models were also developed for the lake and used to demonstrate that the changes in the water quality of the lake were consistent with the reductions in the phosphorus loading to the lake. Continued water-quality and biological information are needed to determine the effectiveness of pollution prevention-strategies implemented in the basin.
Objectives
The objectives of this project are to document the water quality and planktonic populations in the lake.
Approach
Standard limnological procedures are being used to monitor water quality and plankton populations in the lake.
Publications and Reports
Robertson, D.M., Goddard, G.L., Mergener, E.A., Rose, W.J., and Garrison, P.J., 2002, Hydrology and water quality of Geneva Lake, Walworth County, Wisconsin: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02–4039, 73 p.
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