Harwood Lake has a great start to tracking its water quality thanks to Jim Kings. Jim attended (self-funded) the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorp)-Michigan Lake Stewardship Association 2-day training / certification programs for water quality testing plus registered Harwood Lake for statewide monitoring. 2019 – Included water clarity/transparency and phosphorous level testing conducted by Jim 2020 – Expanded testing and analysis of Harwood Lake water quality and supporting environment planned for 2020. Spe- cific testing – and need for volunteers – will be announced when warm weather returns! Water Clarity -Secchi Disc Testing: September 20th, the Summer testing came to an end. Jim Kings conducted and submitted for public record, 19 Secchi Disc tests. The year started with 9′ of clarity/transparency and finished with 15′ clarity – weekly results follows. The average depth was 11.5 feet (3.5 m) for the 2019 summer which puts Harwood Lake into the Oligotrophic range – Trophic State Index (TSI) provided after Secchi Disc Results. Phosphorous Level – Jim submitted water sample to DNR in Plainwell MI for Michigan Lake Stewardship Association (MLSA) to analyze; results pending ….. will keep you updated. As just a FYI: What is phosphorous and why test? Phosphorous is essential for plant life. It is also a constituent of agricultural fertilizers, manure and organic matter from sewers/ septics. A sign of excess phosphorus in a lake is excess algae in lake, as experienced by Driskell Lake in Jones MI. Testing phosphorous levels help us to be proactive and avert such negative consequences.
A volunteer organization, directed towards maintaining and improving the waters of Harwood Lake and its watershed for all to enjoy