67-554: Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison , Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest. Lake Mendota acquired its present name in 1849 following a proposal by a surveyor named Frank Hudson, who claimed to be familiar with local Native American languages ; Lyman C. Draper ,
134-524: A county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin . As of the 2020 census , the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County . The county seat is Madison , which is also the state capital. Dane County is the central county of the Madison metropolitan area , as well as the Madison– Janesville – Beloit combined statistical area . Dane County
201-547: A desert climate often face physical water scarcity. Central Asia , West Asia , and North Africa are examples of arid areas. Economic water scarcity results from a lack of investment in infrastructure or technology to draw water from rivers, aquifers , or other water sources. It also results from weak human capacity to meet water demand. Many people in Sub-Saharan Africa are living with economic water scarcity. An important concern for hydrological ecosystems
268-499: A glacial lake near the City of Middleton that now serves as the source of water for Pheasant Branch, a creek that drains from the east into Lake Mendota. Water left behind by the retreating glaciers eventually filled the current lake bed of Lake Mendota. Although a large lake that stretched from the northern part of Lake Mendota down to Stoughton did exist for about 1,000 years, falling water levels caused this large lake to separate into
335-529: A collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". Targets on fresh water conservation are included in SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and SDG 15 (Life on land). For example, Target 6.4 is formulated as "By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce
402-629: A component of the university, which was reorganized and expanded into the Center for Limnology in July 1982. The university's Hoofer Sailing Club operates at the Memorial Union. Lake Mendota has been called "the most studied lake in the world," with the UW–Madison Center for Limnology resting on its southern bank. The lake has a remote sensor buoy, affectionately known as 'David Buoy,' that
469-402: A drinking water supply it remains vital to protect due to its ability to carry contaminants and pollutants from the land into lakes and rivers, which constitute a significant percentage of other people's freshwater supply. It is almost ubiquitous underground, residing in the spaces between particles of rock and soil or within crevices and cracks in rock, typically within 100 m (330 ft) of
536-474: A large public university, Dane County is solidly Democratic, with a long history in the progressive movement. It has backed the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1932 with the exception of the two nationwide landslide victories of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 , and even then, Eisenhower's margin of victory was under 3% both times. Since then, Republicans have only crossed
603-428: A larger salt content. Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, nutrients, and vegetation. There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems: Lentic (slow moving water, including pools , ponds , and lakes ), lotic (faster moving water, for example streams and rivers ) and wetlands (areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least part of
670-477: A rapid increase in the abundance of aquatic plants and in the frequency of harmful algal blooms, with the latter being attributable to cyanobacteria . The dominant genera of cyanobacteria in Lake Mendota include Aphanizomenon , Anabaena , and Microcystis , with yearly cyanobacterial blooms occurring in almost every Madison lake since 2017. There are various invasive species in Lake Mendota, including
737-465: A reproducing population of invasive zebra mussels was found in Lake Mendota, which generated concern among ecologists because the mussels have been linked to increases in the frequency of cyanobacteria blooms and beach closures. Lake Mendota, like the other lakes in the Yahara River chain, contains many native aquatic plant species, which are the primary producers of the lake and serve as
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#1732782397870804-451: A role in partially mitigating the increasing eutrophication of Lake Mendota, as they absorb phosphorus and produce dissolved oxygen, and they aid in preserving the physical structure of the lake via their root systems , which stabilize sediment and limit shoreline erosion . The draining and damming of the wetlands that once surrounded Lake Mendota caused extensive losses of fish spawning areas , though about 34 fish species are still common in
871-519: A single factor. Groundwater showed greater resilience to climate change than expected, and areas with an increasing threshold between 0.34 and 0.39 aridity index exhibited significant sensitivity to climate change. Land-use could affect infiltration and runoff processes. The years of most recharge coincided with the most precipitation anomalies, such as during El Niño and La Niña events. Three precipitation-recharge sensitivities were distinguished: in super arid areas with more than 0.67 aridity index, there
938-1010: A team from the Wisconsin Historical Society raised a dugout canoe to the surface of Lake Mendota. At 3000 years old, it is now the oldest known sunken boat/shipwreck in Wisconsin. Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids . The term excludes seawater and brackish water , but it does include non-salty mineral-rich waters , such as chalybeate springs. Fresh water may encompass frozen and meltwater in ice sheets , ice caps , glaciers , snowfields and icebergs , natural precipitations such as rainfall , snowfall , hail / sleet and graupel , and surface runoffs that form inland bodies of water such as wetlands , ponds , lakes , rivers , streams , as well as groundwater contained in aquifers , subterranean rivers and lakes . Water
1005-449: Is consumed through human activities than is naturally restored, this may result in reduced fresh water availability (or water scarcity ) from surface and underground sources and can cause serious damage to surrounding and associated environments. Water pollution also reduces the availability of fresh water. Where available water resources are scarce, humans have developed technologies like desalination and wastewater recycling to stretch
1072-416: Is critical to the survival of all living organisms . Many organisms can thrive on salt water, but the great majority of vascular plants and most insects , amphibians , reptiles , mammals and birds need fresh water to survive. Fresh water is the water resource that is of the most and immediate use to humans. Fresh water is not always potable water , that is, water safe to drink by humans . Much of
1139-452: Is extracted for human consumption. Agriculture uses roughly two thirds of all fresh water extracted from the environment. Fresh water is a renewable and variable, but finite natural resource . Fresh water is replenished through the process of the natural water cycle , in which water from seas, lakes, forests, land, rivers and reservoirs evaporates, forms clouds , and returns inland as precipitation. Locally, however, if more fresh water
1206-476: Is governed by a county executive and a county board of supervisors. The county executive is elected in a countywide vote. The county executive is Joe Parisi . The board of supervisors consists of 37 members, each elected from single member districts. As the policy-making body of the county government, the board of supervisors enacts county ordinances, levies taxes, and appropriates money for services. Like most other counties anchored by an urban population center and
1273-429: Is land and 41 square miles (110 km ) (3.3%) is water. Freight Public Transit Intercity Commercial General Aviation In 2017, there were 5,891 births, giving a general fertility rate of 51.7 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the eighth lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Of these, 73 of the births occurred at home, the fifth highest number of home births for Wisconsin counties. 428 of
1340-545: Is part of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network . The buoy was first anchored in Lake Mendota in 2008 and has collected data in each subsequent year from early spring until late fall, when it is removed before the lake freezes in the winter. Several of the lake and atmospheric data collected by the buoy include wind direction , wind speed , air temperature , dissolved oxygen , and chlorophyll . In March 2021, researchers from
1407-483: Is particularly crucial in Africa, where water resources are often scarce and climate change poses significant challenges. Saline water in oceans , seas and saline groundwater make up about 97% of all the water on Earth . Only 2.5–2.75% is fresh water, including 1.75–2% frozen in glaciers , ice and snow, 0.5–0.75% as fresh groundwater. The water table is the level below which all spaces are filled with water, while
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#17327823978701474-826: Is securing minimum streamflow , especially preserving and restoring instream water allocations . Fresh water is an important natural resource necessary for the survival of all ecosystems . Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies , with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes , rivers , oceans , aquifers , reservoirs and groundwater . Water pollution results when contaminants mix with these water bodies. Contaminants can come from one of four main sources. These are sewage discharges, industrial activities, agricultural activities, and urban runoff including stormwater . Water pollution may affect either surface water or groundwater . This form of pollution can lead to many problems. One
1541-420: Is the degradation of aquatic ecosystems . Another is spreading water-borne diseases when people use polluted water for drinking or irrigation . Water pollution also reduces the ecosystem services such as drinking water provided by the water resource . Uses of water include agricultural , industrial , household , recreational and environmental activities. The Sustainable Development Goals are
1608-597: Is used in the winter by sports enthusiasts for ice boating , ice skating , ice fishing , cross-country skiing , ice hockey and snowkiting . The Wisconsin State Capitol and much of the state government is located on the narrow Madison Isthmus, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus is situated along the southern shore of Lake Mendota. In the early 20th century, Chancey Juday and Edward A. Birge founded an influential school of limnology there as
1675-495: The 2010 census there were 488,073 people, 203,750 households, and 116,752 families living in the county. The population density was 394 people per square mile (152 people/km ). There were 216,022 housing units at an average density of 174 units per square mile (67 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 84.7% White, 5.2% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.003% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 5.9% of
1742-537: The Amazon River . The atmosphere contains 0.04% water. In areas with no fresh water on the ground surface, fresh water derived from precipitation may, because of its lower density, overlie saline ground water in lenses or layers. Most of the world's fresh water is frozen in ice sheets . Many areas have very little fresh water, such as deserts . Water is a critical issue for the survival of all living organisms. Some can use salt water but many organisms including
1809-663: The Green Sahara periods) and are not appreciably replenished under current climatic conditions - at least compared to drawdown, these aquifers form essentially non-renewable resources comparable to peat or lignite, which are also continuously formed in the current era but orders of magnitude slower than they are mined. Fresh water can be defined as water with less than 500 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved salts . Other sources give higher upper salinity limits for fresh water, e.g. 1,000 ppm or 3,000 ppm. Fresh water habitats are classified as either lentic systems , which are
1876-654: The Memorial Union , and a handful of hotels and restaurants. There are at least 25 boat launching sites and several major marinas serving the Yahara chain of lakes. The city of Madison maintains five beaches on Lake Mendota, three of which are staffed with lifeguards. On a typical summer day, the lake is filled with those engaging in water sports, including boating , fishing, water skiing , wakeboarding , tubing , canoeing , windsurfing , kayaking , and sailing . With an average freeze date of December 20, Lake Mendota
1943-418: The curly-leaf pondweed , Eurasian water-milfoil , freshwater jellyfish , spiny water flea , water lettuce , and zebra mussel . The spiny water flea in particular has led to devastating ecological consequences in Lake Mendota, as it consumes the native zooplankton Daphnia pulicaria , which has led to marked decreases in water clarity due to increases in the population size of phytoplankton , which are
2010-514: The earth 's fresh water (on the surface and groundwater) is to a substantial degree unsuitable for human consumption without treatment . Fresh water can easily become polluted by human activities or due to naturally occurring processes, such as erosion. Fresh water makes up less than 3% of the world's water resources, and just 1% of that is readily available. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica . Just 3% of it
2077-406: The 173,484 households 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.10% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.90% were non-families. 29.40% of households were one person and 7.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97. The age distribution was 22.60% under
Lake Mendota - Misplaced Pages Continue
2144-433: The 35% mark six times. Within Wisconsin, only the predominantly Native American county of Menominee is more reliably Democratic. At state level, the county is no less Democratic. The last Republicans the county supported at state level were Governor Tommy Thompson and Treasurer Jack Voight in 1994 . The last Republican Senator to carry the county was Alexander Wiley in 1956 by less than one percent, 10 years earlier
2211-565: The Center for Limnology concluded that climate change and the associated lengthening of summer weather have driven the annual formation of dead zones in Lake Mendota, which are oxygen-deficient layers deep in the water column . These dead zones have been shown to remain in the lake for up to two months in the summer and have the potential to devastate the habitats of benthic fish . The increasing eutrophication of Lake Mendota has led to an increased frequency of harmful algal blooms , which sink to
2278-830: The LTER had conducted over three decades of sampling trips into the lake and had never found a single spiny water flea. However, after extracting sediment cores from Lake Mendota and analyzing them at the UW–Madison Zoological Museum, researchers found evidence that spiny water fleas had been present in low concentrations in the lake for at least a decade before their sudden population increase in 2009. This conforms with recent research proposing that invasive species can spend years or decades as "sleeper populations," remaining at low population densities until environmental conditions become favorable for explosive population growth, at which point they are detected by researchers. In 2015,
2345-567: The Yahara River are opened to maximize water flow. In early 2021, Dane County obtained an Ellicott 'Dragon Dredge' as a means of reducing the consequences of flooding from the Yahara River and the Madison lakes by removing silt and muck deposits that have accumulated for decades at choke points between the lakes. This acquisition was part of a multi-million dollar flood mitigation effort led by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi dating back to 2019, when historic rains inundated creeks and caused
2412-887: The age of 18, 14.30% from 18 to 24, 32.50% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.30% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males. In 2010, the largest religious groups in Dane County by number of adherents were Catholic at 106,036 adherents, ELCA Lutheran at 48,620 adherents, United Methodist at 9,753 adherents, non-denominational Christian at 7,448 adherents, Evangelical Free at 6,075 adherents, United Church of Christ at 5,035 adherents, Wisconsin Synod Lutheran at 4,214 adherents, Missouri Synod Lutheran at 3,921 adherents, American Baptist at 3,755 adherents, and PC-USA Presbyterian at 3,664 adherents. Dane County
2479-494: The area above this level, where spaces in the rock and soil contain both air and water, is known as the unsaturated zone. The water in this unsaturated zone is referred to as soil moisture. Below the water table, the entire region is known as the saturated zone, and the water in this zone is called groundwater. Groundwater plays a crucial role as the primary source of water for various purposes including drinking, washing, farming, and manufacturing, and even when not directly used as
2546-421: The available supply further. However, given the high cost (both capital and running costs) and - especially for desalination - energy requirements, those remain mostly niche applications. A non-sustainable alternative is using so-called " fossil water " from underground aquifers . As some of those aquifers formed hundreds of thousands or even millions of years ago when local climates were wetter (e.g. from one of
2613-569: The bird species found in the Nature Preserve include the blue jay , American goldfinch , Baltimore oriole , bald eagle , great horned owl , marsh wren , and common loon . However, in recent decades, Lake Mendota has become increasingly eutrophic, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has documented the presence of numerous invasive species of both plants and animals in the lake. Eutrophication has caused
2680-425: The births were to mothers who held doctorate or professional degrees, more than any other Wisconsin county. These accounted for 7.3% of total births for the county, a higher percent than any other Wisconsin county and more than Ozaukee County which had 5.8% of births to mothers who held doctorate or professional degrees and ranked second. As of the census of 2020 , the population was 561,504. The population density
2747-477: The bottom of the lake when they die. Once at the bottom, they are broken down by decomposers via a process that requires oxygen , thus depleting the benthic supply of oxygen and forming dead zones. In the absence of programs designed to mitigate climate change locally, the researchers indicated that the only way to reduce the frequency and severity of the dead zones is to limit the amount of fertilizer and nutrients that flow into Lake Mendota. On September 11, 2009,
Lake Mendota - Misplaced Pages Continue
2814-598: The first corresponding secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society , proposed that 'Mendota' could have been a Chippewa word meaning 'large' or 'great.' Lake Mendota originated after the Wisconsin glaciation , which occurred approximately 15,000 years ago. Glacial ice, which had covered the Madison lakes (Lakes Mendota, Monona , Kegonsa , and Waubesa ) at a thickness of over 300 meters, began to retreat northwest about 14,000 years ago, damming
2881-680: The first step toward long-term studies of Lake Mendota. Lake Mendota and Lake Monona are separated by an isthmus known as the Madison Isthmus , on which the majority of Madison, WI, is located. While the lakes are separated by dry ground, they are connected by the Yahara River . Navigation along this portion of the Yahara River is controlled by the Tenney Park Lock and Dam, which was constructed to allow shallow drafting boats to cross this dredged section of river through what
2948-536: The foundation for aquatic food webs as well as shelter for northern pike and yellow perch , both of which are native fish species. A 2017 ecological survey of the Yahara lakes conducted by the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department found 24 aquatic plant species, including the coontail , muskgrass , common waterweed , small duckweed , American lotus , variable pondweed , wild celery , and common bladderwort . These native plant species play
3015-425: The four current Madison lakes about 10,000 years ago, leaving numerous shallow-water marshes between those lakes. According to reports from European settlers in the early nineteenth century, Lake Mendota once had white sand beaches and clear water, with the sand being calcium carbonate , which continually entered the lake from its gypsum-rich watershed . However, after American settlers began to populate Madison,
3082-535: The freshwater flow to be measurably contaminated both by insoluble solids but also by the soluble components of those soils. Significant quantities of iron may be transported in this way including the well-documented transfer of iron-rich rainfall falling in Brazil derived from sand-storms in the Sahara in north Africa . In Africa, it was revealed that groundwater controls are complex and do not correspond directly to
3149-547: The great majority of higher plants and most mammals must have access to fresh water to live. Some terrestrial mammals, especially desert rodents , appear to survive without drinking, but they do generate water through the metabolism of cereal seeds, and they also have mechanisms to conserve water to the maximum degree. Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems . They include lakes , ponds , rivers , streams , springs , bogs , and wetlands . They can be contrasted with marine ecosystems , which have
3216-644: The invasive spiny water flea was discovered by the limnology class at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, making it the third known inland lake to harbor this species in Wisconsin. Scientists from the Long Term Ecological Research Network had initially believed that Lake Mendota was an unsuitable habitat for the spiny water flea, which prefers cold lakes, as limnologists from the North Temperate Lakes site of
3283-415: The lake, including the northern pike, white bass , walleye , largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , and musky . Starting in 2006, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve began to catalogue the bird species found in and around Lake Mendota, and, so far, over 255 bird species, most of which regularly occur in southern Wisconsin, have been spotted during their annual migrations . Some of
3350-400: The number of people suffering from water scarcity ." Another target, Target 15.1, is: "By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands , mountains and drylands , in line with obligations under international agreements." Subnotes Dane County Dane County is
3417-413: The others as well. Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity. One is physical. The other is economic water scarcity . Physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet all demands. This includes water needed for ecosystems to function. Regions with
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#17327823978703484-535: The physical characteristics of the once- mesotrophic lake began to rapidly change. This was largely due to the Tenney Locks, which were constructed in 1849 to regulate shipping through the Madison Isthmus and led to a four-foot increase in the water level in Lake Mendota, submerging the beaches. Additionally, due to the growth of the Wisconsin dairy industry in the late nineteenth century, Lake Mendota
3551-406: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 203,750 households 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 30.5% of households were one person and 7.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size
3618-467: The preferred prey of D. pulicaria . On November 2, 2021, a team from the Wisconsin Historical Society raised a dugout canoe to the surface of Lake Mendota. It was discovered by marine archeologist Tamara Thomsen and SCUBA assistant Mallory Dragt while joyriding on their scooters in June 2021. At 1200 years old, it was the oldest known sunken boat/shipwreck in Wisconsin at that time. On September 22, 2022,
3685-421: The sea if windy conditions have lifted drops of seawater into the rain-bearing clouds. This can give rise to elevated concentrations of sodium , chloride , magnesium and sulfate as well as many other compounds in smaller concentrations. In desert areas, or areas with impoverished or dusty soils, rain-bearing winds can pick up sand and dust and this can be deposited elsewhere in precipitation and causing
3752-420: The stillwaters including ponds , lakes, swamps and mires ; lotic which are running-water systems; or groundwaters which flow in rocks and aquifers . There is, in addition, a zone which bridges between groundwater and lotic systems, which is the hyporheic zone , which underlies many larger rivers and can contain substantially more water than is seen in the open channel. It may also be in direct contact with
3819-666: The surface, and soil moisture, and less than 0.01% of it as surface water in lakes , swamps and rivers . Freshwater lakes contain about 87% of this fresh surface water, including 29% in the African Great Lakes , 22% in Lake Baikal in Russia, 21% in the North American Great Lakes , and 14% in other lakes. Swamps have most of the balance with only a small amount in rivers, most notably
3886-469: The time). Freshwater ecosystems contain 41% of the world's known fish species. The increase in the world population and the increase in per capita water use puts increasing strains on the finite resources availability of clean fresh water. The response by freshwater ecosystems to a changing climate can be described in terms of three interrelated components: water quality, water quantity or volume, and water timing. A change in one often leads to shifts in
3953-657: The underlying underground water. The original source of almost all fresh water is precipitation from the atmosphere , in the form of mist , rain and snow . Fresh water falling as mist, rain or snow contains materials dissolved from the atmosphere and material from the sea and land over which the rain bearing clouds have traveled. The precipitation leads eventually to the formation of water bodies that humans can use as sources of freshwater: ponds , lakes , rainfall , rivers , streams , and groundwater contained in underground aquifers . In coastal areas fresh water may contain significant concentrations of salts derived from
4020-435: The waters of Lake Monona to rise to their highest levels in over a century, that would allow Dane County to more efficiently move large volumes of water between the Madison lakes to avoid similar catastrophic impacts from flooding. The banks of the lake largely contain expensive luxury homes and condominiums , but they also contain protected natural areas and parks, including James Madison Park , as well as UW-Madison housing,
4087-426: Was 2.95. The age distribution was 21.7% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% 65 or older. The median age was 34.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males. At the 2000 census there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families living in the county. The population density
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#17327823978704154-511: Was 355 people per square mile (137 people/km ). There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 units per square mile (58 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 88.96% White, 4.00% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 3.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. 3.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.4% were of German , 11.5% Norwegian , 8.9% Irish and 6.0% English ancestry. Of
4221-419: Was 469.3 inhabitants per square mile (181.2/km ). There were 248,795 housing units at an average density of 207.9 units per square mile (80.3 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 77.6% White , 6.4% Asian , 5.4% Black or African American , 0.4% Native American , 3.2% from other races , and 6.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 7.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race. At
4288-461: Was constant recharge with little variation with precipitation; in most sites (arid, semi-arid, humid), annual recharge increased as annual precipitation remained above a certain threshold; and in complex areas down to 0.1 aridity index (focused recharge), there was very inconsistent recharge (low precipitation but high recharge). Understanding these relationships can lead to the development of sustainable strategies for water collection. This understanding
4355-635: Was formed in 1836 as a territorial county and organized in 1839. It was named after Nathan Dane , a Massachusetts delegate to the Congress of the Confederation who helped carve Wisconsin out of the Northwest Territory . Dane County was settled in the 1840s by settlers from New England . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 1,238 square miles (3,210 km ), of which 1,197 square miles (3,100 km )
4422-603: Was once wetlands. Today, the Tenney Park Locks also help to maintain water levels in the Madison lakes, as under normal conditions, the water level in Lake Mendota is kept five feet above that in Lake Monona. By contrast, when water levels are too high, the Tenney Park Dam is closed to minimize flow from Lake Mendota into Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa, while when water levels are too low, all the dams along
4489-540: Was repeatedly inundated with runoff from nearby farms that caused the lake bed to become dark black, the color of prairie soil . The resulting spikes in the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus turned Lake Mendota into a eutrophic lake . The degree of eutrophication was so high that in 1882, Edward Asahel Birge , a young zoologist and future president of the University of Wisconsin-Madison , documented Lake Mendota's first known toxic cyanobacterial blooms in conjunction with his collaborator Chancey Juday , marking
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