Comprehensive study planned for Marion Reservoir
No easy solutions for sediment, algae
Staff reporter
Most residents take everyday necessities for granted. We turn on a water faucet and expect clean, clear water to flow.
Cities have spent millions of dollars making improvements to water plants to assure water quality.
That same assurance also continues to be sought by county and state officials regarding water quality at Marion Reservoir, where it all starts.
More than 30 people attended a meeting Thursday to discuss a comprehensive study to address sediment and blue-green algae issues.
Peggy Blackman, coordinator of Marion WRAPS (Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy), led the meeting with input from city officials, representatives of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Resource Conservation Services, Kansas Department of Health & Environment, United States Geological Survey, The Watershed Institute, and area agriculture producers.
After more than three hours of presentations and discussion, Blackman said she accomplished what she sought — input from participating partners to complete a grant application to help fund the study.
The proposed study
Real-time or live monitoring of the water supply by water treatment plants will assist operators in anticipating algae blooms and make preparations. In the long run, this should save cities money because time and chemicals will not be wasted. Operators can view the live monitoring on a web site.
An integrated monitoring device, a Hydrolab probe equipped with a blue-green sensor, will be installed one meter below the lake surface at the reservoir near the water intake area. This device will continuously monitor cyanobacteria, the active bacteria found in blue-green algae.
A comprehensive analysis of nutrients found in sediments will be conducted by collecting samples at 15-minute intervals near the bottom of the reservoir. Based on the results, experiments will be conducted to determine the direct effects of sediment re-suspension and algae production.
A system will be developed by a contractor to include an easily deployable water craft with a global positioning system and BioSonics acoustic sounding technology for low-cost, rapid bathymetric mapping of the drinking reservoir.
The system will assess bottom sediment composition and provide valuable information that is not easily acquired by traditional surveys.
Other options also were presented by Kansas Biological Survey for consideration.
The importance of a study
Blackman emphasized the importance of Marion Reservoir, not just as the county's water source but for tourism.
She cited there were 415,000 people who visited the reservoir in 2000, spending millions of dollars.
"Several years ago, it was determined that our nation was losing 6.4 billion tons of soil each year," said Blackman. The soil or sediment could fill 320 million dump trucks, and if parked end to end could extend to the moon and three-fourths back.
"This soil or sediment washes into lakes and rivers and then is blown into the air where it pollutes the environment," she said. "Currently it is estimated that Marion Reservoir is filling with 250 acre feet of silt each year which is the equivalence of 250 football fields."
To combat this erosion, area farmers have participated in management practices to slow down erosion and sediment problems. Even with these efforts, a comprehensive study is a means to determine how to best rectify the sediment issue and address algae concerns.
After information was provided by experts, information was obtained from those in attendance as best ways to address the study.
In the end, it was determined to pursue grant funds for the study. The study then will provide solutions to water quality issues.
The deadline for the grant is May 1.
