Investigation of Physical and Chemical Water Quality Parameters in Agriculturally Adjacent Lakeshore Wetlands

We examine the spatial variation of physical and chemical water quality parameters known to effect algal growth and trophic state in this small agriculturally adjacent reservoir. Lake Lowell in Deerflat National Wildlife Refuge, Nampa, Idaho, serves as an irrigation catchment, recreation area, and wildlife management area. Established over a century ago, the reservoir had experienced increasingly eutrophic conditions and the occurrence of harmful algal blooms. Variations in turbidity, nutrient levels, dissolved oxygen and temperature were observed in the wetlands between the shore and the body of the reservoir. By investigating these variations we seek to determine the extent, if any, the wetlands improve the water quality of the reservoir