COVE LAKE NEWS
Cove 2011 Lake Letter- Lake Front Homeowners
Please Read
TOM'S LAKE REPORTS
LAKE LEVELS 2012
| 01/27/2012 |
Lake level 10”
below spillway |
| 01/18/2012 |
Lake level 11”
below spillway |
| 01/11/2012 |
Lake level 11”
below spillway |
| 01/02/2012 |
Lake level 9”
below spillway |
11/28/2011- Vertical visibility into the lake…3 ¾ feet.
03/23/11- Vertical visibility about 3 feet, except 1 ½ feet at the
north end (a south wind was blowing the debris/algae to the north
end)
LAKE LEVELS 2011
| 12/27/2011 |
Lake level 9”
below spillway |
| 12/22/2011 |
Lake level 8”
below spillway |
| 12/10/2011 |
Lake level 7”
below spillway |
| 11/28/2011 |
Lake level 7”
below spillway |
| 11/23/2011 |
Lake level 7”
below spillway |
| 11/17/2011 |
Lake level 5”
below spillway |
| 10/31/2011 |
Lake level 4”
below spillway |
| 10/27/2011 |
Lake level 7”
below spillway |
| 10/19/2011 |
Lake level 5”
below spillway |
| 10/13/2011 |
Lake level 4”
below spillway |
| 10/09/2011 |
Lake level 4”
below spillway |
| 10/07/2011 |
Lake level 7”
below spillway |
| 09/26/2011 |
Lake level 4”
below spillway |
| 08/29/2011 |
Lake level 0”
below spillway |
| 08/25/2011 |
Lake level 3”
below spillway |
| 08/23/2011 |
Lake level 1”
below spillway |
| 08/19/2011 |
Lake level 0”
above spillway |
| 08/16/2011 |
Lake level 1”
above spillway |
| 08/13/2011 |
Lake level 0”
below spillway |
| 08/10/2011 |
Lake level 1”
above spillway |
| 08/09/2011 |
Lake level 4”
above spillway |
| 08/07/2011 |
Lake level 4” below spillway |
| 08/06/2011 |
Lake level 4” below spillway |
| 08/02/2011 |
Lake level 1” below spillway |
| 07/31/2011 |
Lake level 2” below spillway |
| 07/28/2011 |
Lake level 1” below spillway |
| 07/23/2011 |
Lake level 6”
below spillway |
| 07/16/2011 |
Lake level 4”
below spillway |
| 07/08/2011 |
Lake level 2”
over spillway |
| 07/072011 |
Lake level 11"
below spillway |
| 05/06/2011 |
Lake level 8.5”
below spillway |
| 04/25/2011 |
Lake level 6”
below spillway |
| 04/05/2011 |
Lake level 1.5”
below spillway |
| 04/01/2011 |
Lake level 1”
below spillway |
| 03/23/2011 |
Lake level 10”
below spillway |
| 03/10/2011 |
Lake level 8”
below spillway at 10 a.m. |
| 03/09/2011 |
Lake level 10.5”
below spillway (before the rain) |
| 02/11/2011 |
Lake level 7”
below spillway |
| 02/05/2011 |
Lake level 9”
below spillway |
| 01/25/2011 |
Lake level 11”
below spillway |
| 01/21/2011 |
Lake level 13”
below spillway |
| 01/20/2011 |
Lake level 16”
below spillway |
| 01/17/2011 |
Lake level 17”
below spillway |
| 01/05/2011 |
Lake level 24"
below spillway |
LAKE LEVELS 2010
04/09/10- The Vertical visibility (down into the lake) was only 3 to
3.5 feet on March 31, and seems to be even less than that now (April
11).
2/28/10- The vertical visibility down into the lake was 6.5 to 7 feet,
the best that I ever recall – probably due to our 2nd coldest winter
in history in Tampa. Normally, it is only 2-4 feet.
| 12/18/2010 |
Lake level 25" below spillway (16"
below the bottom of the lower drain hole.) |
| 12/16/2010 |
Lake level 21" below spillway |
| 10/07/2010 |
Lake level 13" below spillway |
| 10/16/2010 |
Lake level 8” below the spillway |
| 09/06/2010 |
Lake level 1” above the spillway |
| 08/23/2010 |
Lake level 4” below the spillway. |
| 08/18/2010 |
Lake level 3” above the spillway. |
| 08/12/2010 |
Lake level 4” below the spillway. |
| 06/15/2010 |
Lake level 7” below the spillway. |
| 06/13/2010 |
Lake level 6” below the spillway. |
| 06/10/2010 |
Lake level 6” below the spillway. |
| 06/03/2010 |
Lake level 4 ½ inches below the
spillway. |
| 06/01/2010 |
Lake level: 5” below the spillway |
| 05/30/2010 |
Lake level: 5” below the spillway |
| 05/27/2010 |
Lake level 5” below the spillway
before the rain, and 4” below, afterwards. |
| 05/23/2010 |
Lake level 8” below the top of my
sea wall (4” below our lake’s spillway). |
| 05/16/2010 |
Lake level 8” below my sea wall,
or 4” below our Cove Lake’s spillway (overflow). |
| 05/06/2010 |
The lake level is 3 inches below
the spillway (overflow). |
| 04/26/2010 |
The lake level rose 7”, from 5”
below the level of the spillway to 2" over. |
| 04/18/2010 |
Lake level 8” below the top of my
sea wall, which is 4” below the spillway. |
| 04/09/2010 |
Lake level 5.5” below the spillway
(9.5” below the top of my sea wall) |
| 03/27/2010 |
The
lake is 8.5” below my sea wall (3.5” below the spillway) |
| 03/29/2010 |
The
lake is 5” below my sea wall (just at the spillway level) |
| 03/02/10 |
The lake is 8” below the top of my sea wall at noon, which
should be 3” below the spillway |
| 02/24/10 |
The lake level is 7 ½ inches below the top of my sea wall, or
(as I estimate) 2 ½ inches below the spillway.. |
| 02/12/10 |
Lake level 3” below my sea wall’s top, or about 2” over the
spillway. |
| 02/05/10 |
Lake level 4” below the top of my sea wall top, or flowing 1”
deep over the spillway. |
| 02/03/10 |
The water was just at the top of the spillway, sloshing over with each tiny wave. At my dock, the water level was 5 inches below the top of my sea wall. |
| 01/22/10 |
Our Cove Lake level is now 1” ABOVE the top of
my sea wall. That’s about 5.5” above the lake’s spillway. |
| 01/17/10 |
The lake level is 5” below the top of my sea
wall, or just a half inch below the spillway. It probably went
over the top of the spillway briefly early this morning. |
| 01/09/10 |
Lake level 7.5” below the top of my sea wall |
| 01/01/10 |
Lake level 7” below the top of my sea wall |
2009
| 11/10/09 |
The lake level rose 2” and is now 5.5” below the
spillway. |
| 11/21/09 |
Lake level 11.5” below top of my sea wall (7”
below the spillway). |
| 11/25/09 |
The lake level rose from 10” to 7.5” below the
top of my sea wall. The latter height is still 4” below the
spillway. |
| 12/02/09 |
Lake level 6” below the top of my sea
wall. |
| 12/04/09 |
Lake level 2.5” below the top of my
sea wall. I believe that means the water is going over the
spillway, by about 2” |
| 12/07/09 |
Lake level 4” below the top of my
sea wall, and thus, still going over the spillway |
| 12/18/09 |
Lake level 7” below the spillway. |
| 12/25/09 |
Lake level 7” below the top of my
sea wall. |
| |
|
Lake news from the University of Florida's LakeWatch
program
June 2008 Report
| Time Period |
Phosphorous
|
Nitrogen |
Chlorophyll |
| December 2007 through February
2008 |
35 mg/L |
990 mg/L |
16 mgL |
| |
("normal" 25-100) |
(normal 600-1500) |
(normal range 7-40) |
Figures are in
micrograms per liter. |
April 2008 Report
| Time Period |
Phosphorous
|
Nitrogen |
Chlorophyll |
| September -November 2007 |
35 |
1050 |
23 |
| Figures are in
micrograms per liter. |
December 2007 Report
| Time Period |
Phosphorous
|
Nitrogen |
Chlorophyll |
| March-April |
42 |
1010 |
21 |
| May-August |
41 |
1060 |
29 |
| Figures are in
micrograms per liter. Vertical
visibility in the lake at the start of
November and December was
over 6 feet both months. |
September-November 2006
Phosphorus- 50 micrograms/liter
Nitrogen- 1200 micrograms/liter
Chlorophyll- 31 micrograms/liter
A survey of the uses of Florida's lakes (including our Cove
Lake) showed the following "uses."
 |
Sit and enjoy, 89% of the respondents
|
|
Fishing 78%
|
|
Wildlife watching 76%
|
|
Bird watching 70%
|
|
Swimming, only 38%
|
Florida LakeWatch
sent these figures on the Cove Lake's water quality over the past 9 years. Here
are the averages for the past 9 years, followed by the past three summer months
(June-August), and the median values for all lakes sampled in the Tampa Plain
Region.
Past 9 years Cove Lake Cove Lake Median value
|
Chlorophyll 26 20
9 micrograms per liter
|
|
Phosphorus 61 42
27 micrograms per liter
|
|
Nitrogen 1081 1025
812 micrograms per liter
|
|
Water clarity 3.5
2.8 8 vertical visibility in feet
|
The report
included the following statement: "Don't be alarmed if your lake is at one end
of the spectrum (high or low range)...this merely indicates there are factors
you might want to take a closer look at." The highest values found in the Tampa
Plain Region were 43, 136, and 1450 microgramps per liter for chlorophyll,
phosphorus, and nitrogen--much higher than those found in our lake.
March-August
2006
|
47 mcg/L
Phosphorus
|
|
1080 mcg/L
Nitrogen
|
|
19 mcg/L
Chlorophyll
|
Our lake nutrients
and chlorophyll levels continue to be in the mid-eutrophic range.
Jan-March
2006
|
56 ug/L phosphorus
|
|
1250 nitrogen
|
|
21 chlorophyll
|
(not significantly
different from the December figures)
December
2005
The Florida Lakewatch sent the following information on the
quality of our lake water.
|
Phosphorous 52 mcg/l
|
|
Nitrogen 1250 mcg/l
|
|
Chlorine 28 mcg/l
|
August thru
November 2005
The Florida Lakewatch sent the following information on the quality of our lake
water for the months of August through November.
|
Phosphorus 49 mcg/liter
|
|
Nitrogen 1000 mcg/liter
|
|
Chlorophyll 29 mcg/liter
|
As expected during the summer months with the warmest water temperatures, the
chlorophyll level increased considerably.
May and June
2005.
Total phosphorus 57 micrograms/liter
Total nitrogen 1000 micrograms/liter
Total chlorophyll 17 micrograms/liter
(these continue to be in the eutrophic ranges)
We had our annual
meeting of "lake watchers" in August, and were given the complete past records
for our lake. Here are some of the extremes (lake sampling began in July 1997).
|
Highest phosphorus reading, 149 on April 22, 1998. This was before lake
treatment had begun.
|
|
Lowest reading 26 on January 28, 2000
|
|
Highest nitrogen reading, 2020 on July 23, 1998. Lake treatment began soon after
this.
|
|
Lowest reading 640 on August 4, 2003
|
|
Highest chlorophyll reading 204 on July 23, 1998
|
|
Lowest reading, 3 on December 28, 1997, at the end of the wettest December in
history.
|
|
Greatest secchi depth (visibility down into the lake) 9 feet on January 28, 2000
|
|
Least secchi depth 1.3 feet on July 23, 1998
|
January-March 2005
|
Nutrient |
2005 |
2004 |
| Phosphorous |
51 |
87 |
| Nitrogen |
1060 |
900 |
| Chlorine |
21 |
38 |
Our lake is still classified as Eutrophic
(high levels of nutrients)
October-December 2004 Lake Report
Phosphorus 68 micrograms per liter
Nitrogen 1120 mg/l
Chlorophyll 26 mg/l
The nitrogen content was down slightly from its multi-year high of 1250 mg/l
last summer. The others were unchanged.
August 2004 Lake Report
This covers the period May-August 2004, and
isn't too different from the previous report. Our lake is considered to be
Eutrophic (relatively high levels of nutrients in the water)
Total phosphorus 68 micrograms per liter (normal 25-100)
Total nitrogen 1250 (normal 600-1500)
Chlorophyll 26 (normal 7-40).
June 2004 Lake Report
For the four months December 2003 through
March 2004, here are the values in micrograms per liter and the percent increase
from the previous period:
Phosphorous 87- 18% increase
Nitrogen 900- 34% increase
Chlorophyll 38- 81% increase
NOTE- the levels of each of the phosphorous,
nitrogen and chlorophyll have increased significantly from the last period.
January 2004 Lake Report
The University of Florida Lakewatch report for
Cove Lake for July-November 2003 showed
Phosphorus 74 micrograms/liter
Nitrogen 900 ug/l.
Chlorophyll 21 ug/l.
These are over 10 percent below the readings for the previous period, and well
within the normal range for eutrophic lakes. The lake appears free of all algae,
and most cattails with roots in the lake have died.
July 2003 Lake Report
The Univ. of Florida's Water Chemistry Lab
report on our Cove Lake's water quality from April through June 2003.
Phosphorous 57 micrograms per liter (it was 89
in the previous period)
Nitrogen 900 micrograms per liter (was 1020)
Chlorophyll 21 micrograms per liter (it was 17)
These values are still within the normal range for eutrophic lakes.
June 2003 Lake Report
The Univ. of Florida's Water Chemistry Lab
report on our Cove Lake's water quality from November 2002 through March 2003.
Phosphorous 89 Normal 25-100
Nitrogen 1020 Normal 600-1500
Chlorophyll 17 Normal 7-40
Perhaps the Phosphorous was a bit high due to fertilizer applied to trees during
the winter and spring. The chlorophyll level is just over half as high as the
last report indicated. The water has actually looked quite good during May and
early June.
Link to
Hillsborough
County Lake Information Website
|
