WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2002
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN =9
Potter Lake's water not cause for concern
By Jay Pilgreen Kansan staff writer
Potter Lake, located just west of the Campanile, is not a place for students to take a swim or unload their jet-ski.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment included Potter Lake in its 1999 survey of 120 bodies of water in the Kansas-Lower Republican Basin. The lake is on the survey's list of impaired waters, but it was placed under low-surveillance status.
KDHE concluded in its 1999 report that Potter Lake was high in eutrophication, or that there was excessive algae growth in the lake. The report said the size of the lake, a maximum depth of 1 meter, and fertilizer used around the lake were the primary causes of the growth.
Mike Russell, director of the department of environment, health and safety, also said that the lake was not of importance and it shouldn't be considered a natural body of water.
Because of the size and limited traffic the lake receives, KDHE said Potter Lake was not a priority,and would not receive funding for treatment.
"It's a water retention pond." Russell said. "It is not intended for swimming or fishing."
The University of Kansas limited use near the lake.
Russell said fertilizer used in the vicinity of the lake caused algae growth. He
"It is a water retention pond. It is not intended for swimming or fishing."
Mike Russell director of the department of environment, health and safety
also said storm drains and water run-offs that drain into the lake could increase the phosphorous level — the algae growth chemical in fertilizer. He said that though he could not prove it was a direct cause, he thought students might be partly responsible as well.
"When people soap the (Chi Omega) fountain, within a week you can see more algae because of the phosphorous," Russell said.
Russell said laundry detergents and soaps contained phosphorous.
KDHE will not release a full report until 2004, halfway through a ten-year plan to improve water quality throughout the state, started in 2000. The report will show if eutrophication had decreased in the five-year span, and reevaluate what could be accomplished to further increase the water quality of the lake.
Contact Pilgreen at jpilgreen@kansan.com. This story was edited by Mandy Miller.
LAURIESISK/KANSAN
Potter Lake is on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's list of impaired waters. KDHE said the lake was rarely used and would not get treatment.