Drought helped Leesville Lake water quality

Justin Faulconer / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: January 12, 2008

Blame it on the rain.

Lack of rainfall in 2007 helped Leesville Lake improve its water quality, according to a recent report done by lake residents.

Mike Lobue, president of the Leesville Lake Association, and eight volunteers with property on the lake measured water quality along with acidity, bacteria, oxygen and temperature levels from April to September.

They found the lake improved in clarity last year by 12 percent over the average for the previous 16 years, largely because of less silt and runoff that muddies water when it rains.

"The reduced rainfall was not good for water quantity, but was for quality," Lobue said.

More rain means the lake ages fast because silt carries nutrients into the water, producing more plants and animals that speed up the lake's natural aging process.

The Associated Press reported in October that the James River's water clarity also improved in 2007 because of less runoff from the drought.

The Leesville study showed low traces of bacteria. Close to 100 water samples were taken in seven different locations, and only a single sample exceeded the state standard for E coli.

The lake association wanted to test the water apart from the Department of Environmental Quality, Lobue said, because DEQ was not scheduled to test the lake again until 2011. He said he also felt residents could test more parts of the lake.

DEQ representatives trained volunteers on collecting water samples for testing and lent them equipment, said Mike Shaver, a regional biologist in Lynchburg.

Shaver said citizens doing hands-on testing helps DEQ keep a "finger on the pulse" of the lake, but he still feels DEQ should at least have it on a third-year rotation because it can do more advanced testing. DEQ now has it on a six-year rotation for testing due to budget restraints, Shaver said.

"It's a significant reservoir," said Shaver. "There's a lot of recreational activity on that lake."

Since the lake's 34,000 acres were filled in 1965, Lobue said last year was the first that lake residents conducted their own water-monitoring program.

He said they plan to continue their own testing and he has already applied for nearly $2,000 in grants from the Foundation of Virginia's Natural Resources to start again in April.

Taking a cue from the Smith Mountain Lake Association, which enlists the aid of Ferrum College for its independent water studies, Lobue said he is trying to get a local college program to soon help in monitoring Leesville Lake.