Flathead Lake water quality
<p>Two new automated buoys now reside in Flathead Lake, providing a platform for a suite of instruments that allow continuous, automated measurements of water quality and meteorological conditions. Data is transmitted to FLBS and made available to the public in near real-time offering local agencies, lake sportsmen, and the general public tangible benefits:</p>
Experts believe wastewater discharge and non-native animals are compromising the lake’s clarity and ability to sustain life as more residents and recreationists use the world-renowned clear lake.
POLSON – Flathead Lake is in danger.
Experts believe wastewater discharge and non-native animals are compromising the lake’s clarity and ability to sustain life as more residents and recreationists use the world-renowned clear lake.
Communities clinging to the lakeshore are already engaged in improving wastewater plants to help reduce the amount of nutrient-rich effluent discharged into the lake and river.
Polson City Council members decided Monday on a $15.7 million plan to build a new wastewater treatment plant that will meet the EPA’s strict guidelines.
Monitoring the lake’s water quality falls largely on the University of Montana’s Flatehead Lake Biological Station. Founded in 1899, it is one of the oldest active biological stations in the country, according to university officials.
Recent cuts in government funding jeopardize the long-term ability of ecologists to monitor the water quality using the yellow, buoy-like data-sampling units on the lake.
Two years ago, a local anonymous donor pledged $1 million to preserve the FLBS program if the communities surrounding the lake could match it.
As of March, officials received more than $560,000 in donations, said FLBS Research Scientist Tom Bansak.
“The people who have contributed know this lake is a very special place and worthy of their investment in its future,” said FLBS Director Jack Stanford. “We are very grateful for the outpouring of support.”
But with more than $400,000 to collect, the deadline of Dec. 31, 2014 looms for station officials.
About 300 families responded to a mailing sent out in the fall of 2013 by donating another $55,000 to the Lake Monitoring Challenge Grant.
Jack Hanna, world-renowned animal expert and TV personality, is one of the Flathead Lake residents who supports the station.
“I have been all around the world, and there is no finer lake than Flathead,” Hanna said. “The Bio Station’s monitoring work is very important to keep it that way.”
FLBS scientists specialize in ecological research and education with an emphasis on freshwater, particularly Flathead Lake and its watershed.
“Monitoring is the most important tool to keep Flathead Lake vibrant and healthy, because it reveals threats before they become problems,” said Bonnie Ellis, FLBS research assistant professor.
In March, station officials were swamped with an unexpected expense of pulling several buoys from the lake for repairs and maintenance.
Officials hope to get the buoys afloat again this summer.
UM economists estimate the lake increases shoreline property values by a collective $6 billion to $8 billion.
Nature-based tourism accounts for more than 20 percent of the economy of Flathead and Lake Counties, according to station officials.
For more information or to make a donation, call Bansak at 406-982-3301 ext. 229 or email tom.bansak@umontana.edu. Give online at http://www2.umt.edu/flbs/.
(Leader Reporter Vince Lovato contributed to this story.)