PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #23: Fish, Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands.
Wednesday, August 8, 2001. Presentation from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Exhibition Hall
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Studies on the habitat profiles of Eagle Lake and Lake Chotard in Warren County, Mississippi.
Acholonu, Alex1, Neal, Chadric1, Durr, P. 1, Love, D.1, Shaw, R.1, Stromg, J.1, Sullivan, K.1, Thomas, E.1, 1
ABSTRACT- Contaniments alter the ecological conditions of many lakes, hence some measure of the degree of pollution is needed in an aquatic habitat profile study. The present study was conducted on two lentic bodies of water, Eagle Lake and Lake Chotard in Warren County, Mississippi, to compare their habitat profiles and to find out if they meet the Mississippi water quality standards. During the fall of 2000, water samples were collected at different locations in three replicates from these lakes respectively. The samples collected were taken to the laboratory and analyzed according to the methods indicated by the manufacturers of LaMotte test kits. For Eagle Lake, the parameters tested and the average readings recorded were; zinc(0.01ppm), chlorine(0ppm), chromate(0.012ppm), nitrate(0.35ppm), phosphate(0.35ppm), sulfide(0.22ppm), iron(0ppm), copper(0ppm), cyanide(0ppm), manganese(0ppm), alkalinity(156ppm), chloride(70.6ppm), (several of which are industrial pollutants) and pH(7.3). The average surface water temperature was 24.3 C. For Lake Chotard, the average readings recorded were: zinc(0.0131ppm), chlorine(0.6ppm), chromate(0.038ppm), nitrate(0.24ppm), phosphate(0.33ppm), sulfide(0.24ppm), iron(0ppm), copper(0ppm), cyanide(0ppm), manganese(0ppm), alkalinity(148ppm), chloride(99ppm) pH(7.6). The average surface water temperature was 20.4 C. There was not much significant difference between the physical and chemical variables tested in both lakes. Based on the water quality parameters measured, the two lakes meet the Mississippi water quality standards for ephemeral water bodies. This is a preliminary study.
KEY WORDS: Habitat Profiles , Eagle Lake , Lake Chotard, Mississippi