Lake restoration with and without dredging of phosphorus-enriched upper sediment layers

Human activity has been the cause of continuing decline of water quality in most Dutch lakes. Development of lake restoration programmes must take into account the lake functions. Major reduction of the nutrient and pollutant loading is the primary step in lake restoration. Still, the recovery of eutrophic lakes is retarded frequently because of internal phosphorus loading by the lakes' sediments. Sediment dredging, as an additional tool for water quality management to accelerate accomplishing the desired water quality, is studied. In this paper we evaluate the preliminary results of eight lake restoration projects in the Netherlands. The lakes are compared in order to estimate the magnitude of the internal phosphorus loading. Dredging as an additional measure was carried out twice in the peatlake Geerplas. In the Nieuwkoop Lakes only the external phosphorus loading was substantially reduced from 0.9 to 0.2 g P m^–2 y^–1. Provisional results of these two shallow peatlake restoration projects focussed on eutrophication abatement with and without dredging, are presented. Both show a decrease in phosphorus concentration in the lakes. The necessity to dredge the lakes is discussed.     

Effects of hypolimnetic oxygenation on water quality: results from five Danish lakes

Stratified eutrophic lakes often suffer from hypolimnetic oxygen depletion during summer. This may lead to low redox conditions and accumulation of phosphate and ammonia in the hypolimnion. Hypolimnetic oxygenation has been used as a lake management strategy to improve the water quality in five eutrophic dimictic Danish lakes where oxygenation was conducted for 4–20 years. In one lake, the hypolimnetic oxygen concentration clearly improved by oxygenation, whereas the other four lakes still exhibited low mean summer levels (<2.2 mg O₂ l⁻¹). Oxygenation generally increased the hypolimnetic water temperature by 0.5–2°C, but in one lake it increased by 4–6°C. In all lakes, oxygenation significantly reduced the hypolimnetic concentrations of phosphorus and ammonia during stratification. The accumulation of phosphorus and ammonia typically decreased by 40–88%. In two lakes oxygenation was stopped for 1–2 years and here hypolimnion concentrations of both phosphorus and ammonia increased again. Surface water quality only improved in one lake, but was likely also influenced by simultaneously occurring changes in external nutrient loading. Overall, it is concluded that hypolimnetic oxygenation reduces the hypolimnetic accumulation of phosphorus and ammonia and may prevent anoxia in the deeper parts of the lake. However, long-term oxygenation is required and it is uncertain whether the overall lake water quality can be improved by oxygenation. Reduction of the external nutrient loading is still essential to improve lake water quality. Handling editor: Luigi Naselli-Flores     

Seasonal variations in concentrations of nitrate and total phosphorus,and calculated nutrient loading for six lakes in western New York

Seasonal variations in concentrations and ranges of nitrate and total phosphorus were measured in six lakes (Conesus, Canadice, Honeoye, Devil's Bathtub, Java, and Lime) of western New York. The variations may reflect the geochemistry of the area, local differences in lake hydrology and mixing characteristics, and the supply of nutrients from soil, man, and precipitation. Calculations of nutrient (P) loading were made for the six lakes in New York and compared to loading values for nine English lakes. The specific values derived from these calculations can not be considered absolute but they do indicate the relative importance of human versus edaphic contributions and provide an aid in management considerations.

     

Water quality research in the Loosdrecht lakes: proposals for the follow-up restoration measures

Reduction of the external phosphorus load in 1984 did not lead to recovery of Loosdrecht lakes. Therefore the Provincial Water Authorities of the Province of Utrecht proposed, after consulting the research group Water Quality Research Loosdrecht lakes (WQL), measures to reduce the present external phosphorus loading from 0.35 to 0.1 g Pm^–2y^–1. Mathematical modelling suggested that such a reduction would benefit the water quality of the lakes. The results of the WQL investigation did not lead to additional measures (dredging, biomanipulation, chemomanipulation).     

Restoration and resilience to recovery of the Lake Loosdrecht ecosystem in relation to its phosphorus flow

A reduction in external phosphorus loading since 1984 to Loosdrecht lakes system by the dephosphorization of the inlet water, yielded only minor effects in Lake Loosdrecht. This reduction measure turned out to have decreased the loading only by a factor of two. A conceptual model was constructed based on laboratory measurements to describe phosphorus flow in the lake ecosystem for the summer of 1987. The role of zooplankton and fish was more important in phosphorus recycling than diffusion at the sediment-water interface. The input and output of phosphorus of the lake were at equilibrium and therefore, further reduction in external loading was needed for recovery. The results of the conceptual model agreed well with the output of the mathematical model PCLOOS. Additional measures such as dredging, flushing, chemomanipulation, or biomanipulation would be ineffective at the present level of external loading. Only a significant further reduction in external input will restore Lake Loosdrecht's water quality over a long period of time.     

Seasonal response of nutrients to reduced phosphorus loading in 12 Danish lakes

1. Concentrations of phosphorus, nitrogen and silica and alkalinity were monitored in eight shallow and four deep Danish lakes for 13 years following a phosphorus loading reduction. The aim was to elucidate the seasonal changes in nutrient concentrations during recovery. Samples were taken biweekly during summer and monthly during winter. 2. Overall, the most substantive changes in lake water concentrations were seen in the early phase of recovery. However, phosphorus continued to decline during summer as long as 10 years after the loading reduction, indicating a significant, albeit slow, decline in internal loading. 3. Shallow and deep lakes responded differently to reduced loading. In shallow lakes the internal phosphorus release declined significantly in spring, early summer and autumn, and only non‐significantly so in July and August. In contrast, in deep lakes the largest reduction occurred from May to August. This difference may reflect the much stronger benthic pelagic‐coupling and the lack of stratification in shallow lakes. 4. Nitrogen only showed minor changes during the recovery period, while alkalinity increased in late summer, probably conditioned by the reduced primary production, as also indicated by the lower pH. Silica tended to decline in winter and spring during the study period, probably reflecting a reduced release of silica from the sediment because of enhanced uptake by benthic diatoms following the improved water transparency. 5. These results clearly indicate that internal loading of phosphorus can delay lake recovery for many years after phosphorus loading reduction, and that lake morphometry (i.e. deep versus shallow basins) influences the patterns of change in nutrient concentrations on both a seasonal and interannual basis.     

Predicting concentration of total phosphorus and chlorophyll a in a lake with short hydraulic residence time

The relationship between total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentration was determined for Skinner Lake, Indiana over an annual cycle in 1978–79. Total nitrogen:total phosphorus ratios in the epilimnion ranged from 19 to 220 suggesting a phosphorus-dependent algal yield in the epilimnion. Approximately 90% of annual TP loading reached the lake via streamflow, and 93% of this entered during snowmelt and spring-overturn periods. At that time incoming water flushed the lake 2.4 times. Atmospheric loading accounted for 1.4% of annual TP load. Internal hypolimnetic TP loading occurred during summer stratification. Mean [chl a] for the ice-free period was 15.15 mg m^–3, within the range expected for eutrophic lakes.The 1978–79 data were used in conjuction with the Vollenweider & Kerekes (1980) model to produce a model specific for the Skinner Lake system. The model predicted mean epilimnetic total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations from mean total phosphorus concentration in inlet streams and from lake water residence time during the period of spring overturn and summer stratification. The Skinner-specific model was tested in 1982 and it closely predicted observed mean epilimnetic [TP] and [chl a] during the ice-free period. This study shows that variability in lake models which average data over an annual period can be reduced by considering lake-specific seasonal variation in hydrology and external TP loading.     

The state of the environment of the Loosdrecht lakes

The Loosdrecht lakes are a system of shallow, interconnected, peat lakes in the centre of The Netherlands. The main environmental functions of the Loosdrecht lakes are nature and recreation. From the point of view of the Dutch policy, a Specific Environmental Quality (Bijzondere Milieukwaliteit) should be set for these lakes.The most serious environmental problem of the area is eutrophication. The Loosdrecht lakes have, by increasing external phosphorus loading, changed, from clear lakes with few macrophytes, followed by a period of abundant characean growth, to turbid lakes dominated by cyanobacteria and detrital matter. Eutrophication was counteracted by use of sewerage systems and dephosporization of the supply water. The resultant decrease in external phosphorus loading did not result in a decrease of turbidity by suspended particles.The eutrophication of the lake ecosystems was described as a series of phases. One of those phases, the status around 1940, has been used as an ecological reference system.By means of a graphical presentation technique, the so-called AMOEBE-approach, the state of the environment of the Loosdrecht lakes has been visualized. Thirty-two ecological parameters, including both biotic and abiotic factors, have been selected and quantified. Concrete target values for these parameters have been derived from historical reports and from Lake Western Loenderveen, located close to the Loosdrecht lakes, but less eutrophic.The general conclusion is that the state of the environment of the Loosdrecht lakes is far from what is required with respect to a Specific Environmental Quality, as many of the selected parameters, like water transparency, total phosphorus, mineral nitrogen, cyanobacteria, bream, pike, macrophytes, birds and otter, deviate by over an order of magnitude from their desired levels.     

The importance of lake morphometry and catchment characteristics in limnology – ranking based on statistical analyses

This work introduces an interpretational key to quantify and understand how much of variations among lakes in fundamental ecosystem characteristics that may be related to lake morphometry, catchment area features, measurement uncertainties and other factors (mostly climate). The size and form of lakes regulate many general transport processes, such as sedimentation, internal loading and outflow, which in turn regulate many abiotic state variables, such as concentrations of phosphorus, colour, water chemical variables and water clarity, which regulate primary production, which regulate secondary production. This paper discusses relationships between key abiotic state variables, lake morphometry and catchment area characteristics using empirical/statistical analyses based on data from 95 lakes. It has been shown that of the studied variables Secchi depth depends most on morphometry (34%); 31% of the variations among the lakes in Secchi depth may be related to catchment area characteristics, 1% to uncertainties in empirical data and 34% to other (climatological) factors. The corresponding figures for alkalinity, which depends least on lake morphometry are, 0% related to morphometry, 34% to catchment conditions, 1% to empirical uncertainty and 58% to other causes. For all other studied variables, i.e., conductivity, hardness (CaMg), calcium, iron, colour, pH and phosphorus the corresponding figures vary between these values. The interpretational key helps to explain the mechanistic reasons for these statistical/empirical results.     

Biological indicators track differential responses of pelagic and littoral areas to nutrient load reductions in German lakes

External nutrient loading was reduced over the past decades as a measure for improving the water quality of eutrophic lakes in western Europe, and has since been accelerated by the adoption of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) in 2000 (EC, 2000). A variety of eutrophication-related metrics have indicated that the response of biological communities to this decreased nutrient loading has been diverse. Phytoplankton, a major component of the pelagic community, often responded rapidly, whereas a significant delay was observed for submerged macrophytes colonizing littoral areas. In this study we tested whether assessment methods developed for phytoplankton and macrophytes in lakes during Germany's implementation of the WFD reflect this differential response. An assessment of 263 German lakes confirmed that a lower ecological state was recorded when based on the biological quality element (BQE) for macrophytes than the BQE for phytoplankton during the investigated period (2003–2012). On average, lakes had a moderate ecological status for both phytoplankton and macrophyte BQEs, but differences of up to three classes were observed in single cases. Long-term data were available for five lowland lakes subject to strong reductions in phosphorus loading. Their phytoplankton-based assessments indicated a constant improvement of the ecological status in parallel to decreasing water phosphorus concentrations. In contrast, macrophyte-based assessments indicated a 10–20 year delay in their ecological recovery following nutrient load reduction. This delay was confirmed by detailed data on the temporal development of macrophyte species diversity and maximum colonization depths of two lakes after nutrient load reduction. We conclude that the available WFD assessment methods for phytoplankton and macrophyte BQEs are suitable to track the differential response of pelagic and littoral areas to nutrient load reductions in German lakes.     

Reaction of large and shallow lakes Peipsi and Võrtsjärv to the changes of nutrient loading

More than 20-year monitoring of Estonian rivers reveals that the loading of nitrogen to large shallow lakes Peipsi (3,555 km², mean depth 7.1 m) and Võrtsjärv (270 km², mean depth 2.8 m) decreased substantially in the 1990s. Phosphorus loading decreased to a much smaller extent than nitrogen loading. In L. Võrtsjärv both N and P concentrations followed the decreasing trends of loading, which show the high sensitivity of large shallow lakes to catchment processes. Our study showed a positive relationship between P content in sediments and the relative depth of the lake. Assumingly the resilience of a lake in responding to the reduction of nutrient loading decreases together with the decrease of its relative depth. In L. Peipsi the concentration of P has not decreased since the 1990s. Our data show indirectly that P loading from Russia to L. Peipsi may have increased. The N/P ratio has decreased in both lakes. Cyanobacterial blooms have been common in both lakes already at the beginning of the 20th century. The blooms disappeared during heavy nitrogen loading in the 1980s but started again in L. Peipsi in recent years together with the drop of the N/P ratio. In L. Võrtsjärv the N/P ratio is higher and the ecosystem is more stable although the share of N₂-fixing cyanobacteria increased from the 1990s. Reappearing cyanobacterial blooms in L. Peipsi have caused fish-kills in recent years. In L. Peipsi summer/autumn fish-kills during water-blooms are a straightforward consequence of reduced nitrogen level at remaining high phosphorus level while in L. Võrtsjärv the climatic factors affecting water level are more critical––at low water level winter fish-kills may occur. In L. Võrtsjärv nutrient loading has decreased and water quality has improved, present ecological status seems to be mostly controlled by climatic factors through changes of water level. The most important measure to improve water quality in L. Peipsi would be the reduction of phosphorus loading from both Estonian and Russian subcatchments.     

Water quality management in the River Gudenaa,a Danish lake-stream-estuary system

Waste water purification has been established to some extent throughout the 3,260 km² catchment area of the River Gudenaa water system during the last 20 years. Biological treatment and phosphorus removal are now undertaken in almost all towns, and organic matter and phosphorus loading from fishponds and farms has been reduced. The pollution abatement strategy employed has been to coordinate and differentiate waste water treatment so as to maximise the environmental benefit/cost ratio. The time lag between implementing an abatement measure and observing an improvement in water quality varies considerably depending on the nature and cultural history of the water bodies involved and the processes occurring during the passage of water between them.Nutrient transformation and retention within water bodies of the Gudenaa system is of great importance for nutrient loading of the downstream lakes and of the estuary (Randers Fjord), and even for the Danish Belt sea. When loading is reduced retention changes, but to a different extent in different water bodies.     

The effect of wave-reduction engineering on sediment resuspension in a large, shallow, eutrophic lake (Lake Taihu)

Frequent resuspension of sediments is recognized as an important process in large shallow lakes, impeding the recovery of eutrophic lakes. A large-scale project, including a wave barrier (3.3 km long) and a soft enclosure, was implemented to reduce wave energy and sediment resuspension in Lake Taihu, eastern China. The effects of the wave-reduction engineering on sediment resuspension and internal nutrient loading were investigated. Results showed that sediment resuspension rates as well as suspended solids (SS) in the areas protected by the wave barrier and the soft enclosure were significantly lower than in the unprotected areas. There was a positive relationship between total phosphorus (TP) and SS; thus internal loading of phosphorus was significantly reduced by the wave-reduction structure. High nutrient levels and phytoplankton biomass persisted during the experiment period, suggesting that additional measures, such as re-establishment of the macrophyte community, must be included to help restore the water quality in such a large, shallow and eutrophic lake.     

A model study on the role of wetland zones in lake eutrophication and restoration

Shallow lakes respond in different ways to changes in nutrient loading (nitrogen, phosphorus). These lakes may be in two different states: turbid, dominated by phytoplankton, and clear, dominated by submerged macrophytes. Both states are self-stabilizing; a shift from turbid to clear occurs at much lower nutrient loading than a shift in the opposite direction. These critical loading levels vary among lakes and are dependent on morphological, biological, and lake management factors. This paper focuses on the role of wetland zones. Several processes are important: transport and settling of suspended solids, denitrification, nutrient uptake by marsh vegetation (increasing nutrient retention), and improvement of habitat conditions for predatory fish. A conceptual model of a lake with surrounding reed marsh was made, including these relations. The lake-part of this model consists of an existing lake model named PCLake. The relative area of lake and marsh can be varied. Model calculations revealed that nutrient concentrations are lowered by the presence of a marsh area, and that the critical loading level for a shift to clear water is increased. This happens only if the mixing rate of the lake and marsh water is adequate. In general, the relative marsh area should be quite large in order to have a substantial effect. Export of nutrients can be enhanced by harvesting of reed vegetation. Optimal predatory fish stock contributes to water quality improvement, but only if combined with favourable loading and physical conditions. Within limits, the presence of a wetland zone around lakes may thus increase the ability of lakes to cope with nutrients and enhance restoration. Validation of the conclusions in real lakes is recommended, a task hampered by the fact that, in the Netherlands, many wetland zones have disappeared in the past.     

The Importance of Lake Morphometry for the Structureand Function of Lakes

This work demonstrates quantitatively and in a comprehensive way that the size and form of lakes regulate many general transport processes, such as sedimentation, resuspension, diffusion, mixing, burial and outflow, which in turn regulate many abiotic state variables, such as concentrations of phosphorus, suspended particulate matter, many water chemical variables and water clarity, which in turn regulate primary production, which regulate secondary production, for example of zooplankton and fish. Such relationships are discussed not qualitatively but quantitatively using a new generation of validated dynamic ecosystem models (LakeWeb and LakeMab) based on mechanistic principles. It has been shown by critical model tests (including blind tests using data covering wide limnological ranges) that these models give predictions that agree well with empirical data. This should lend credibility to the results presented in this work, which would have been very difficult to obtain using traditional methods with extensive field studies in a few lakes. Simulations have been carried out where the inflow of phosphorus is held constant and the consequences simulated for small, large, shallow and deep lakes. There are striking differences in total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and trophic state (from 10 to 100 µg TP/l) and hence also in changes in many variables characterizing lake structure and function, such as Secchi depth, suspended particulate matter, pH, water temperature, chlorophyll, algal volume, macrophyte cover; as well as production and biomasses of benthic algae, bacterioplankton, macrophytes, herbivorous zooplankton, predatory zooplankton, zoobenthos, prey fish and predatory fish. These changes have been quantified in a comprehensive manner in this work and the approach to calculate such changes are basic for an understanding of how different lakes react to changes in nutrient loading (eutrophication). (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Development and practical application of limiting values for the phosphate concentration in surface waters in the Netherlands

Summary To counteract eutrophication it is important to possess sufficient information (1) on the relationship between the content of nutrients and the algal biomass, and (2) on the cycling of nutrients in lakes.A comparative study of a large number of surface waters in the Netherlands has demonstrated that it is possible to derive a relationship between the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and the upper limit of the chlorophyll concentration, averaged over the summer season.For the authority in charge of water quality it is essential to know how far the phosphorus loading must be reduced to attain the desired phosphate concentration. The results of an extensive study of the nutrient budgets of Lake Wolderwijd-Nuldernauw over the period 1976–1979 demonstrate that in certain cases a relative high phosphate concentration can occur (approx. 0.30 mg/l) in spite of a low external phosphorus loading (approx. 0.7 g P/m² year). Such high concentrations can be explained by the continuous presence of a bloom of blue-green algae and the release of phosphate from the aquatic sediments during the summer. In such lakes it is necessary to take additional measures, such as flushing with water poor in algae and phosphates, or, where necessary, the removal of aquatic sediment rich in phosphate.     

国内外森林与水质研究综述

近几十年来,随着大面积的森林被不合理的采伐利用,使生态环境遭受巨大破坏。同时,近些年来,受全球气候异常的影响,水、旱灾频繁,水土流失严重,且由于环境污染,造成水质不断恶化,水质型缺水日益严重。为保护水资源,森林与水环境,森林与水质已成为近十年来森林水文学研究的重点和热点。国内外的一些专家、学者经过多年来的观测和研究,已取得很多成果。1　关于森林和水质的研究现状大约从本世纪50年代,我国开始关注森林对水质的影响[1]。不过国内绝大多数的研究是着重于森林对河流悬移泥沙含量的影响。直到七十八十年代,我国的一些科研院所,如…     

Response to Phosphorus Limitation Varies among Lake Populations of the Freshwater Snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum

Local adaptation – typically recognized as higher values of fitness-related traits for native vs. non-native individuals when measured in the native environment - is common in natural populations because of pervasive spatial variation in the intensity and type of natural selection. Although local adaptation has been primarily studied in the context of biotic interactions, widespread variation in abiotic characteristics of environments suggests that local adaptation in response to abiotic factors should also be common. Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a freshwater New Zealand snail that is an important model system for invasion biology and the maintenance of sexual reproduction, exhibits local adaptation to parasites and rate of water flow. As an initial step to determining whether P. antipodarum are also locally adapted to phosphorus availability, we examined whether populations differ in their responses to phosphorus limitation. We found that field-collected juvenile P. antipodarum grew at a lower rate and reached an important size threshold more slowly when fed a relatively low vs. a relatively high- phosphorus diet. We also detected significant across-population variation in individual growth rate. A marginally significant population-by-dietary phosphorus interaction along with a two-fold difference across populations in the extent of suppression of growth by low phosphorus suggests that populations of P. antipodarum may differ in their response to phosphorus limitation. Local adaptation may explain this variation, with the implication that snails from lakes with relatively low phosphorus availability should be less severely affected by phosphorus limitation than snails from lakes with higher phosphorus availability.     

Lake restoration by reducing external phosphorus loading: the influence of sediment phosphorus release

SUMMARY. 1. This review considers the factors which determine the recovery of eutrophic lakes following a reduction in the external phosphorus loading.
2 The mean phosphorus content of a lake should decrease roughly in proportion to the reduction in phosphorus input. Where the lake phosphorus concentration does not decrease as predicted, then the release of phosphorus from the sediment is implicated.
3. The current understanding of the processes by which sediment phosphorus is mobilized and transported into the photic zone is described. The extent to which phosphorus release can maintain lake phosphorus concentrations following the reduction in external loading is influenced by: lake morphometry, flushing rate, sediment type, trophic state and history of enrichment.
4. A reduction in the phytoplankton biomass of a lake is dependent upon the size of the decrease in lake phosphorus concentration and the degree to which phosphorus limits primary production. The importance of phosphorus in limiting phytoplankton production tends to decrease with increasing lake trophic status.
5. Improvements in the condition of highly eutrophic lakes require very large reductions in external phosphorus loading, whereas in mildly enriched lakes moderate changes in the supply of phosphorus have noticeable effects on phytoplankton biomass.     

The occurrence of internal phosphorus loading in two small,eutrophic, glacial lakes in Northeastern Ohio

Internal loading of phosphorus for the summers of 1972–1974 in the eutrophic Twin Lakes, Ohio, USA was calculated from nutrient budgets, and was found to account for 65–100% of the increase in phosphorus content of the lakes during this period. Recovery of lakes of this type after nutrient diversion may be delayed by internal loading and chemical inactivation of phosphorus may be needed. A discussion of sources of this internal loading is presented.