YEAR’S END ENVIRONMENTAL NOTES- BY STAN TOPPING

 

 

By and large the environment in the South Channel area has had a very good year.  Regardless of the sparse rain over the past few months the forest seems to be less stressed than it has been the past several years and has made significant recovery from the insect damage incurred aver the past two years.  The moth traps show no activity of the hemlock looper and only slight activity of the forest tent caterpillar and the gypsy moth.

Nearly 100 water quality tests were conducted in the South Channel between late May and mid October.  The bacterial counts in the South Channel this year were much lower than those of any other year that we have tested.  However, water clarity was the poorest we have seen and the water temperature has been the highest.  The E. coli

Counts were very good and the extreme spikes in total coliform did not occur as they have over the previous two or three years.

Now that is the good news.  The not so good news is that at this time the six month water levels prediction places our water this spring to be at about the 2004 level or a bit lower.  Well, all we can say about that is it is only a prediction.

 

The water sampling results for the entire year as well as the results for the previous five years can be viewed on line at www.southchannel.org your information location on the South Channel.  Beginning in July these results have all been posted a day or two following their collection.

 

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