Abstract
This study reports the effects of recreational use on the water quality of an Adirondack lake. Phosphates, nitrates, conductivity, fecal coliform, transparency, and temperature were regularly measured over a period of 2 years and related to the recreational use that the lake received during that time. An adjacent lake, which was not visited by recreationists, served as a control. There was no apparent relationship between water quality and fluctuations in use at any of the sampling sites. There was also no significant variation in water quality between sites even though the use between the sites varied. Differences in water quality between the lake receiving recreational use and the control lake were negligible.
Citation
Werner, Robert G.; Leonard, Raymond E.; Crevelling, James O. 1985. Impact of backcountry recreationists on the water quality of an Adirondack lake. Res. Note NE-326. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 4 p.
