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Chattahoochee Riverkeeper group holds Lake Lanier outing to teach about environmental concerns
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Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s technical programs director Jason Ulseth tells passengers how to check oxygen and temperature at various lake levels, both of which drop with the depth. Using a PVC 1-liter horizontal water sampler, Ulseth marked decreasing levels of dissolved oxygen and temperature at just below the surface, at 10-meter and 12-meter depths. Temperature dropped from 83 degrees, to 78.8, then 69.8, respectively. Dissolved oxygen dropped from 7.7 milligrams per liter near the surface to just 3.5 mg. at 12 meters. The state standard for fish is about 4 mgs. per liter, Ulseth said. - photo by NAT GURLEY
Visitors got a close-up look at the environmental health of Lake Lanier on Saturday when the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper watchdog group offered its first Watershed Outing. Passengers boarded a 40-foot catamaran for a staff-led guided tour of the lake by Sally Bethea, founding executive director of the Riverkeeper, and Jason Ulseth, technical programs manager. They offered a tutorial on the history of the lake, its environmental effects and the role the group plays in the watersheds throughout the region.