Illinois EPA Ambient Lake Monitoring Program (ALMP): lake water chemistry from the Springfield laboratory, 2004-2006

The Illinois EPA’s Ambient Lake Monitoring Program (ALMP) was created in 1977 in
cooperation with the IL Department of Conservation to assess trends in a select few IL public
lakes. The Illinois EPA biologists work out of three Illinois EPA regional offices: Springfield,
Marion, and Des Plaines and monitor lakes in their respective areas. Approximately fifty lakes
are monitored annually and of those, twenty-five are termed “Core Lakes”. A total of
75 publicly-owned lakes were chosen throughout the state of Illinois as Core Lakes. Previously
these lakes were monitored every three years in order to establish a long-term monitoring trends
database. In 2008 these lakes and select others were monitored on a five year rotational basis.
All lakes are monitored five times yearly; once during the spring runoff and turnover period
(April or May), three times during the summer (June, July, August), and once during the fall
turnover period (October). Depending on the size of the lake, usually three lake sites are
monitored. Monitoring includes collection of water quality and sediment samples as well as,
field observation data/measurements such as Secchi disk transparency readings, dissolved oxygen,
temperature, quantity of algae, macrophytes, and other key aspects of the lake and sampling
event. Water quality samples are collected from one foot below the surface at all sites and two
feet above the bottom at only the deepest site. These samples are routinely analyzed for
suspended solids, nutrients, and chlorophyll. Additional parameters may be added for a
designated period of time at select lakes based on changing data needs.

伊利诺伊州环境保护局（Illinois EPA）的环境湖泊监测计划（Ambient Lake Monitoring Program, ALMP）于1977年启动，由伊利诺伊州保护部（IL Department of Conservation）协作开展，旨在评估选定的部分伊利诺伊州公共湖泊的变化趋势。该局生物学家依托斯普林菲尔德、马里恩及德斯普兰斯三处区域办事处开展工作，对各自辖区内的湖泊实施监测。该项目每年监测约50座湖泊，其中25座被定为‘核心湖泊（Core Lakes）’。全州范围内共计遴选75座公有湖泊作为核心湖泊。此前，这些湖泊每三年监测一次，以建立长期监测趋势数据库；2008年起，这些湖泊及其他选定湖泊转为每五年轮测一次。所有湖泊每年需接受五次监测：春季径流与水体翻转期（4月或5月）1次，夏季（6月、7月、8月）3次，秋季水体翻转期（10月）1次。根据湖泊规模，通常布设3处监测点位。监测工作涵盖水质与沉积物样本采集，以及现场观测数据与测量值，例如塞氏盘透明度读数（Secchi disk transparency readings）、溶解氧、水温、藻类数量、大型水生植物及湖泊与采样事件的其他关键指标。所有监测点位的水质样本均采集自水面下1英尺处，仅最深点位额外采集水底上方2英尺处的样本。常规分析项目包括悬浮物、营养盐与叶绿素。根据数据需求的变化，部分湖泊可在指定时段内增加监测参数。