New Sebago Lake buoy will collect real-time water quality data for scientists, research, and the public

05.16.2018

Sebago Lake Monitoring Buoy                    Video of Deployment

The Portland Water District (PWD) deployed a real-time water quality buoy in Sebago Lake’s Lower Bay today.  The buoy will record and wirelessly transmit data on temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll (a measure of algae in the lake), pH, and water clarity to the Internet where it will be available to the public at www.pwd.org.  The data will also be studied by PWD scientists and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (SJC) faculty and students.  The Sebago Lake buoy project will join the Global Lake Ecological Observation Network (GLEON), a worldwide network of instrumented buoys on lakes. This network places critical lake information at the fingertips of researchers, resource managers, and the general public. 

Saint Joseph’s College and the Portland Water District applied for and received the grant to support sustainable water resource management, lake research, undergraduate research training, and community engagement. Partial funding of this buoy was provided by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey through the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, under Grant No. G16AP00057.

“We are very excited to have real-time data,” stated Portland Water District’s Environmental Services Manager Paul Hunt.  “Used in conjunction with our current monthly testing – which we’ve done for decades - the continuous data generated by the buoy will help us better understand the physical and ecological dynamics of the lake, the factors that affect water quality, and will support the operation of the Sebago Lake Water Treatment Facility.” 

“Sebago Lake provides water for 15% of Maine’s population, so it is critical to actively sustain this resource and better understand how it responds to challenges like climate change and development.  Sustainability and wellness are campus-wide focuses at SJC, and this collaborative project is a very good fit and a step to protect this crucial water body,” stated Dr. Emily Lesher Assistant Professor in the Sciences Department.  Lesher, along with co-investigators Brie Holme (PWD), Ryan Dorland (SJC), and Nina Eduljee (SJC) will use the data to study topics such as long term acidity and carbon dioxide trends, physical models of lake turnover, and how stakeholders interact with lake data.   

Powered by solar panels and equipped with a variety of sensors, the 145-pound buoy will be positioned in Lower Bay’s deepest point.  Seasonal maintenance, calibration, and deployment of the buoy will become the responsibility of the Portland Water District.