'Dip-In' Tests Water Quality In Lake Norman

MOORESVILLE, N.C.,None — How important is clear water? That's the question Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman is asking about Lake Norman.

Merryman's environmental watchdog organization has begun a month-long study of lake water quality. Through July 17, volunteers will be scattered on and around Lake Norman, dropping Secchi disks -- black-and-white weighted disks on a rope -- into the water to assess water clarity.

The goal, Merryman said, is to collecting environmental data from sites throughout the Catawba River chain of lakes, which will be added to the nationwide "Secchi Dip-In" – an ongoing project to monitor lakes throughout the United States and Canada.

The Secchi Dip-In is a "demonstration of the potential of volunteer monitors to gather environmentally important information in lakes, rivers and streams," Merryman said. The project provides local, regional and international insights into water quality. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the North American Lake Management Society are nation-wide sponsors of the 2011 Secchi Dip-In.

Merryman and the Catawba Riverkeeper organization launched the local project because, since the inception of the national effort, "very little information has been submitted to this national dataset regarding our region's drinking water resource, the Catawba River."

He said volunteers are still needed for the water testing on Lake Norman.

"Not only is this a great opportunity to learn about the clarity and health of the lakes in our region," Merryman said. "It's a great excuse to get out and enjoy the Catawba lakes."

Interested volunteers can contact the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation to receive a Secchi disk, directions and data collection sheets. Call 704-679-9494 or visit www.catawbariverkeeper.org

WSOC