Testing the Water Quality on Tripp

Every two weeks in the summer, our volunteers take their boats out early in the morning to check the water quality of Tripp. The residents who volunteer their time and energy throughout the summer are Bob Franck, Glen Mangini and Greg Morrin. John Laskey, who has also been managing the measurements for more than 50 years stays connected to results.

There are numerous factors that contribute to the overall health of a lake and its ecosystems and it changes based on what is happening in our environment (global warming, warmer summers, etc.) Two significant measures that we track are clarity (measured by the Secchi Disk) and Dissolved Oxygen.

Secchi Disk Transparency -A Secchi Disk measures water transparency (how clear the water is). This simple test can characterize lake water quality and identify changes over time.

Dissolved Oxygen - Low oxygen levels in lakes can lead to a range of negative impacts on aquatic life and the ecosystem. Fish require dissolved oxygen levels between 5-6 ppm (parts per million) to grow and thrive. Low dissolved oxygen levels (>3 ppm) become stressful for most aquatic organisms, and extremely low levels will not support fish survival at all. Here are a few other impacts of low oxygen.

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs): Low oxygen levels can promote the growth of harmful algae, which can lead to the formation of HABs. These blooms can be toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms, causing mass die-offs and habitat loss.

Nutrient Recycling: In oxygen-depleted environments, sediments release nutrients like phosphorus into the water column, fueling algal blooms and perpetuating eutrophication.

Ecosystem Disruption: Low oxygen levels can disrupt the balance of the ecosystem, leading to the dominance of harmful organisms like cyanobacteria and the acceleration of lake degradation.

We will update this page with bi-weekly results until testing is done in the fall, but there is past history and more data on the Maine Lakes pages.

Tripp Lake Water Testing Results 2025
click for additional bi-weekly reports