Rees Broome, PC C O N G R A T U L A T E S:
Ursula Koenig Burgess Elected CAI President, 2020
Nicole A. Williams Appointed Maryland House Delegate, District 22
Hillary Collins & Winta Mengisteab Promoted to Shareholders
reesbroome.com
Tysons Corner
1900 Gallows Road, Suite 700 Tysons Corner, Virginia 22182 703.790.1911
8
Bethesda
7101 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1201 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 301.222.0152
Leesburg
1602 Village Market Blvd SE, Leesburg, VA 20175 703.443.6605
BACK TO BASICS: Consider the Rule of Three to Restore Balance to Your Aquatic Ecosystem When developing a management plan for a lake or pond, it is important to keep its purpose and priorities in mind. Is it strictly aesthetic? Used for fishing or recreation? Maybe it facilitates irrigation, drinking water, fire suppression, or stormwater collection? An effective freshwater management program can be compared to the importance of each leg on a “three-legged stool.” Think of each “leg” of this metaphorical stool as representative of the (1) physical, (2) chemical, and (3) biological components of a freshwater resource. If one part of this trinity breaks down, the others will follow. The overall health of a waterbody is based on maintaining balance of each component. The first leg of the stool—the physical characteristics of a lake or pond—include features such as size, depth, volume, bottom substrate, water source, and water exchange through the system. Each physical characteristic can affect how a lake or pond responds to environmental conditions. For instance, shallow ponds with excessive buildup of bottom muck and sediment, or those with limited water movement, will be more likely to experience algae and weed growth than large, deep lakes or ecosystems with lots of water flow. The chemical characteristics—the second leg of the stool—refers to water quality components that can be measured such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, nutrients, water clarity, and many other parameters. Poor water quality often occurs when these parameters become imbalanced or when polluted runoff containing fertilizers, pet or wildlife waste, landscaping debris, and other organic materials enters the water. This process of nutrient “pollution” is one of the most common causes of chemical imbalance in a freshwater ecosystem. The third leg—or biological component of the stool comprises all living things including algae, plants, bugs, fish and microorganisms in the water. Moderate levels of algae and vegetation growth are natural and provide habitat and food for fish and wildlife, but nutrient pollution can cause growth to get out of control—blocking sunlight, limiting access for fishing and boating, and compromising aesthetics. In addition, as plants and algae decay, nutrients return into the waterbody fueling additional growth, creating a vicious cycle. In the process, the risk of fish kills, offensive odors, accumulation of bottom muck and nuisance insect populations all increase—further offsetting the balance.
