Citation:

Angradi, T., P. Ringold, AND K. Hall. Water clarity measures as indicators of recreational benefits provided by U.S. lakes: Swimming and aesthetics. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 93:1005-1019, (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.06.001

Impact/Purpose:

Lakes provide recreational benefits related directly or indirectly to water quality, including swimming, boating, fishing, and the aesthetic experience of viewing the lake. Indicators described in this work can be used to assess the recreational benefits provided by lakes at national and regional scales

Description:

Lakes provide recreational benefits related directly or indirectly to water quality. Using data from the 2007 and 2012 National Lake Assessments (N=2067 lake visits), we developed indicators for three benefits: swimming, general recreational value, and aesthetic appeal of lake views. We related objective biophysical measures of water clarity, including Secchi depth, turbidity, and water-column chlorophyll a concentration to subjective visual assessments of recreational benefit quality. Lakes were classified into two composite ecoregions: mountains + Upper Midwest (“Mountains”) and plains + xeric (“Plains”). There were significant associations between water clarity measures and subjective assessments which allowed us derive water-clarity-based thresholds between benefit quality classes for each benefit type (exceptional, high, low, marginal). Associations were strongest for Secchi depth, and weakest for chlorophyll a. Derived threshold values were different between composite ecoregions. Relative to lakes in the Mountains ecoregion, recreational users of Plains lakes apparently have lower expectations for water clarity. Derived thresholds were generally in accord with water clarity thresholds and guidance derived from published studies. Including indicators of the quality of benefits humans received from lakes in national and regional assessments of lake conditions can increase public participations in decision-making and allow changes in benefit quality to be detected.

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