From: Shreya Komar

June 11th, 2021

Dear Chris Tackle,

Thank you for informing our class about the ongoing problem in the Tri-Lakes region. I am very
concerned about the health of the Tri-lakes and I intend to use my knowledge to find possible
causes and solutions to the problem. I have carefully studied the data packet that you have given
me and I have conducted experiments to try to explain the issues such as why the water in the
lake stays greener for longer than it used to, why the lake has fewer microorganisms(such as
Daphnia and Gammarus), and why it had fewer, and less colorful bass and perch that tend to
congregate around the edges of the lake. The lake was also seen to have the problem of a lower
pH level and higher temperature.

One of the first problems that I noticed from your letter was that that microorganisms like
Daphnia and Gammarus were less common in the lake. From reading the packet, it is evident
that Daphnia cannot survive at a higher temperature because to them, higher temperatures are
usually fatal. On the other hand, Gammarus are sensitive to changes in their environment.
Changes such as acidification can threaten their survival. Thus the cause of fewer of these
microorganisms must be due to an increase in temperature and a decrease in pH levels. The
increase in temperature must be from the drainage that comes from the industry Wings for
Children. Since they use the lake for cooling purposes, their drainage causes the temperature to
rise. In the map provided in the packet, we can also observe that the temperature is the highest
near the Wings for Children location. The industry may also be releasing toxic emissions into
the air containing sulfur which causes rain to react with these acidic molecules and form acid
rain. Acid rain can lower the pH of the lake and kill microorganisms like Gammarus and other
fish. The chart concerning pH that you have given us shows that pH levels have decreased from
1993 to 2002; from a pH of 6 to 5.5. This may not seem like a lot however a pH of 5.5 is 100,000
times more acidic than a pH of 6 which can have a disastrous effect on the Daphnia and
Gammarus in the lake. The packet states that ‘lakes are the perfect models for observing the
effect of acid rain’ suggesting that the main cause of lowering pH in this lake is due to acid rain.
A second problem you mentioned is that the fish(Perch and Bass) are fewer, smaller, and less
colorful than in previous years. This may have been the result of an increase in temperature and a
decrease in pH levels. To test my claims, an experiment was conducted to test the effect of pH
and temperature on the Tri-Lakes. It consisted of 2 procedures that tested the behavior of brine
shrimp in a 10ml beaker. In Procedure 1, the brine shrimp were initially observed to be
randomly swimming fast and be a slightly orange color. The initial pH was recorded to be
7(neutral) after adding 10 drops of acid, the pH dropped to 3 which is in the acidic range. The
final observations of the brine shrimp were that they were swimming slower, half of them had
died and they had also changed in color. This shows how acidification of the lake water could
lead to the fish in the lake become less colorful and also fewer in number because many of them
would die. In procedure 2 of the experiment, the effect of increasing temperature was tested on
Brine shrimp. Initially, the 10ml beaker with the brine shrimp was at 25°, C and the initial
observations included random swimming. Then, gradually hot water was added to the beaker
until the temperature is 2 ° higher than the previous temperature. At 27°C, there was no change
in behavior. At 29 °C, most brine shrimp were seen swimming near edges and forming clusters.
At 31°C, 5 brine shrimp died, there was frantic swimming and a color change was also observed.
At 33°C, 8 died ad there was a lot of swimming near the edges. The final temperature recorded
was 35°C where it was observed that all the fish had died and there was a color change. These
results showed the detrimental effects that increasing temperature could have on the fish in the
lake. Therefore, It is the rise in temperature which caused there to be fewer fish and caused their
color to change as well. It was also mentioned that the perch and the bass decreased in size. The
population of large bass could have decreased because the environment favored smaller bass.
The population of Daphnia and Gammarus was decreasing. This would lead to less food for the
Bass and Perch. Natural selection would allow smaller Bass which take less food to survive
which would give more chances for them to reproduce than larger bass.

Another problem mentioned was that Fewer bass was caught and the fish also congregated near
the edges of the lake in the hollows of discarded cinder blocks and hovered in one place for a
long time. Less Bass may have been caught because they are dying due to a lack of survival
food. As mentioned previously in my letter, many organisms including Daphnia and Gammarus
were dying. The death of Daphnia and Gammarus causes a lack of sufficient food for
Largemouth bass since the Bass are used to feeding on these smaller fish. Thus the bass may
become smaller or die due to starvation. If the Daphnia and Gammarus population decreased, it
would affect all the bigger fish that eats these creatures such as the Largemouth bass. Also
mentioned in the packet, a huge part of the largemouth bass and Yellow Perch’s diet is Daphnia
and Gammarus. Daphnia and Gammarus are primary consumers. They are near the bottom of
the food chain in the Tri-Lakes. So without them, the entire food chain can collapse and lead to
the death of larger fish such as the Largemouth bass. The congregation around cinder blocks and
hovering may be caused be because of an increase in temperature of the lake and decreasing pH
levels which leads to the fish forming clusters. The lime from the cement of the discarded cinder
block could be increasing the pH which is why the fish might hover in clusters of discarded
cinder blocks because In procedure one of the experiment explained previously, it was found
that as the pH lowers, the fish started to die and congregate near the edges.

One of the large problems in the lake is that the lake is greener for more of the year than it used
to be. I hypothesized that a buildup of algae made the lake look greener. Upon reading the
packet, I noticed that a company called Wings for Children has moved near the edge of the lake
so it can use the water for cooling purposes. Drainage from industrial and residential areas
deposit high concentrations of nitrates and phosphates in the water. Nitrates and phosphates are
important nutrients that are normally present in low concentrations. When concentrations
increases due to pollution, cyanobacteria, and algae may have population explosions. The
massive populations of these organisms give the water a pea-green color. The factory could be
affecting the water of the lake, especially nitrates or phosphates which lead to algal blooms. A
huge amount of algae would account for the green color. Things like sewage could also increase
nutrients in the lake causing excess algae growth. Huge amounts of algae are known by many
scientists to use up oxygen and release huge amounts of C02 in a lake. Since there is a
continuous buildup of algae, as a result, it could also decrease the pH of the water. The oxygen
levels of the lake also were going down. Also in the table found in the packet, the dissolved
oxygen (mg/L) from 1997, when the factory was built, to 2002, there was a decrease of
dissolved oxygen from 9.4 mg to 8.8 mg. However in another 5 years, from 1992 to 1997, the
amount of dissolved oxygen only decreased from 9.6 mg to 9.4 mg. This shows that in the span
from 1997-2002 the dissolved oxygen decreased more than twice the rate from 1992-1997. The
increased amount of algae thus leads to a of negative effects and must be reduced
In conclusion, one of the major sources of the Tri-Lakes problem is the negative human impact
on the environment. In this situation, Wings for Children was the major company that was
causing acidification, algal blooms, and heating of the lake by using it for cooling purposes and
releasing toxic chemicals into the environment which might also cause acid rain. I recommend
that you investigate what is going on in the factory for Wings for Children because they may be
polluting the lake. The pollution could set off a chain reaction of growing more algae, reducing
the amount of oxygen in the lake, decreasing the pH of the lake, increasing the temperature of
the lake, and decreasing the number of microorganisms, which finally leads to the decrease in
bass populations and especially the population of largemouth bass. Furthermore, the decrease of
pH and temperature increase killed off many Daphnia and Gammarus which led to a decrease in
bass populations. By using the lake for cooling purposes, they are also the cause of the rising
temperature of the lake because they release draining which is at a higher temperature. Similarly,
many industries around the world are the cause of the death of many organisms and a loss of
biodiversity. Thus, it is important that we, as a community act more responsibly and ensure that
our environment is protected. This means that industries and factories (like Wings for Childrens)
should be supervised and fined if they disregard the environment and continue to pollute the
lakes. If they want to continue to dispose of their drainage in the lake then they must be required
to cool it down to the same temperature as the lake water to ensure that the does not change the
temperature of the lake. Instead of using the lake for cooling purposes, the industries could
invest in drainage treatment machines that cool down the water to a normal temperature. This
would allow for microorganisms such as Daphnia to be restored. Since Daphnia can reduce the
number of algae and cyanobacteria in a small amount of time, they are important for lake
restoration programs. As these microorganisms are restored, the amount of Largemouth bass and
perch will be restored in their original number and color because they will now have enough
food and be in a favorable environment. Another solution that could be used to restore the lakes
is to reduce pollution to reduce acid rain. Factories could try to use more eco-friendly measures
when manufacturing and produce less toxic sulfur emissions by opting to use renewable
technology like solar power. Water pollution must be reduced. Evidence from the packet tells us
that in 1991, an estimated 750,000 fish died as a result of pesticide runoff in Louisiana. So
runoff from pesticides should also be reduced by educating farmers to use acceptable and less
toxic forms of pesticide.
After completing this activity, I have taken some time to reflect on it. I have learned a lot about
the scientific process. I have learned that the scientific process starts with an observation or an
initial question and then must be followed by a series of experiments to gather evidence and test
one’s hypothesis. Finally, the data must be analyzed to be able to come to a conclusion and
answer the scientific question. I also learned a lot about myself as a learner by completing the
Tri-Lakes activity. I have learned that I enjoy analyzing the results of experiments and I learn
best when I can use data to support my claims. I also learned that, as a learner, I like learning
about real-life situations and problems like the Tri-lakes issue. This activity was truly very
interesting and thought-provoking. I have learned to become a more responsible human to the
environment.

Sincerely,

Shreya Komar
Honors Biology Student