Gratiot Lake Conservancy (GLC), in conjunction with some lake locals, collects data points annually to contribute to the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (MiCorps). GLC has been providing data since 1999 to the program and is excited to continue to in the future.
MiCorps is a network of volunteer water quality monitoring programs in Michigan. It was created through Michigan Executive Order #2003-15 to assist the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. To learn more about them click here: About MiCorps .
The 2017 report indicates Gratiot Lake is a 36 on the Trophic Scale Index, a metric used to evaluate the productivity, quality, and condition of a lake. The 36 places Gratiot Lake between an Oligatrophic Lake (think a barren, not very productive lake) and a Mesotrphic lake (medium amount of aquatic life and relatively productive). Given the size of Gratiot Lake, this ranking makes sense and is a good indicator of a healthy lake.
It is important to continue these measurements in order to monitor the condition and quality of the lake. If Gratiot Lake starts moving to a higher or lower number (scale is 0-100), it could indicate a potential problem or threat to the lake’s ecosystem and food web.
Dorothy Jamison taking Secchi Reading at Gratiot Lake in 2014