(Des Moines)– Iowa State University has begun installing water quality monitoring equipment in 16 Iowa lakes to collect data during the 2012 ice-free season. Officials say it will help identify what factors lead up to harmful algal blooms, which is a major water quality impairment for Iowa lakes.
The study is being conducted in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Hazard buoys mark the location of the equipment, which is beneath the water surface. Officials are asking the public to not disturb the buoys.
Locally, such buoys are located on Big Spirit Lake, Center Lake, Five Island Lake, Lower Gar, and Silver Lake (in both Palo Alto and Dickinson counties).
