WHITEHALL — The White Lake Association celebrated the pending launch of its smart buoy Saturday with a launch party at Goodrich Park.
The buoy, which was launched this week - due to its size, it was impractical to attempt a launch at the party - is the result of a $40,000 grant the WLA received from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). With data collecting capabilities, the buoy will be able to monitor some key environmental factors of the lake in real time.
The buoy is, by itself, 75 pounds, but also has equipment attached to it which make it a multiple-person job to attempt to carry on land. It's an XB-200 model made by NexSens Technology, outfitted with solar panels made by Fondriest Environmental. The panels charge batteries that power the "weather station," said WLA chief science officer Jim DeBoer, who led the writing of the grant application. The weather station is able to pick up above-water measurements such as temperature and humidity and transmit that information through a 4G data connection to WQdatalive.com. DeBoer said at the moment, he has the login to access that information and will periodically post it to the WLA website, but with donations or grant money, a long-term goal would be to make the data publicly available at all times.
That website will also receive underwater information from the buoy through a thermistor ring, which is able to measure water temperature every five feet down in the lake. The buoy will be placed in the lake at a spot that is relatively close to shore - minimizing the chance of boat collisions with the buoy - but also reaches 70 feet underwater, one of the deepest parts of the lake. This will help the WLA obtain the most thorough readings possible.
The underwater readings will center on not just water temperature, but also dissolved oxygen - an important measure for vegetation and fish in the water - and what DeBoer called "total algae."
"(That) is probably the most important in terms of health or water quality," DeBoer said. "That's a combination of chlorophyll, which folks probably know (about) from plant life needing chlorophyll to survive, and then phycocyanin, which is a particular measure of how toxic or how dangerous that algae might be.
"As some folks know, just because you see vegetation, or weed growth, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. If it's a native species and it's not overpowering and it hasn't become toxic, it's not a problem, This phycocyanin gives an extra parameter to say, 'This is something that we might need to worry about.'"
The buoy is being launched with a large attachment to keep it comfortably above water, with a ballast weight and chains that will keep it in its intended spot. Due to its construction - high-density polyethylene plastic - it will easily be able to take glancing blows should it collide with a boat. Barring electronic malfunctions that are always possible with instruments like those, DeBoer said, the buoy should be able to last without interruption until whenever the solar panels need to be replaced, which is likely some 10-15 years away. (The buoy will be stored on land during winter months to prevent wear and tear.)
The WLA is excited for the possibilities the buoy represents as far as taking care of the lake as well as potential educational opportunities. The buoy has currently unused data ports that could expand the types and amount of data it could collect in the future, depending on local interest and, of course, funding.
"(We have) the opportunity to be an outreach point for schools, teachers, students tapping into this data in real time," DeBoer said. "We could have projects, potentially, looking at the data, learning how to understand graphs, plots of data, what we do with that information."
The WLA will continue to do its own monitoring of the lake and is working on other summer projects, said board president Robert Smart. Work is being done to develop an app that would use machine learning to identify if invasive plant species are congregating underwater, and the organization is also planning to take photos of the shoreline throughout the summer to monitor changes.
The group is always seeking new members, with membership being fairly inexpensive, DeBoer said - $35 per year, or $50 to also receive the Riparian magazine published by the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association.
"Being part of the association, you learn the basics of what might look funny (or that it doesn't belong), and it just makes everyone more educated," DeBoer said.
The buoy is being launched with a large attachment to keep it comfortably above water, with a ballast weight and chains that will keep it in its intended spot. Due to its construction - high-density polyethylene plastic - it will easily be able to take glancing blows should it collide with a boat. Barring electronic malfunctions that are always possible with instruments like those, DeBoer said, the buoy should be able to last without interruption until whenever the solar panels need to be replaced, which is likely some 10-15 years away. (The buoy will be stored on land during winter months to prevent wear and tear.)
The WLA is excited for the possibilities the buoy represents as far as taking care of the lake as well as potential educational opportunities. The buoy has currently unused data ports that could expand the types and amount of data it could collect in the future, depending on local interest and, of course, funding.
"(We have) the opportunity to be an outreach point for schools, teachers, students tapping into this data in real time," DeBoer said. "We could have projects, potentially, looking at the data, learning how to understand graphs, plots of data, what we do with that information."
The WLA will continue to do its own monitoring of the lake and is working on other summer projects, said board president Robert Smart. Work is being done to develop an app that would use machine learning to identify if invasive plant species are congregating underwater, and the organization is also planning to take photos of the shoreline throughout the summer to monitor changes.
The group is always seeking new members, with membership being fairly inexpensive, DeBoer said - $35 per year, or $50 to also receive the Riparian magazine published by the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association.
"Being part of the association, you learn the basics of what might look funny (or that it doesn't belong), and it just makes everyone more educated," DeBoer said.
