Visitor perception of lake water quality in highly-managed urban lakes

Urban lakes provide an important opportunity for humans to interact with nature. Managing water quality in urban lakes is challenging and often requires large investments. While data on water quality are typically collected by management organizations, we know less about how these management activities affect user perception of lake water quality. We collected user perception data from two highly-visited urban lakes in Saint Paul, Minnesota, using an SMS-based chatbot. Signs posted at three high-traffic locations around each lake invited visitors to text a response to a “hook question”, which initiated the survey. We collected data from Como Lake, a 27-ha lake that has recently been the focus of an intensive phosphorus and macrophyte management effort, in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, we also collected data from Lake Phalen, an 80-ha lake with a less-urbanized watershed. Visitor perception of lake water quality showed seasonal patterns that generally tracked chlorophyll and water clarity. Water quality perceptions in Como Lake also reflected a large inter-annual difference between late summers of the two study years. However, a large difference in water clarity and chlorophyll between Lake Phalen and Como Lake was not reflected in water quality perception scores. Perceived changes in lake water quality over time reflect water quality conditions at the time of the response more than multi-year trends in chlorophyll or transparency. These results suggest that visitor perception of water quality is likely influenced by a variety of lake-specific factors, potentially including messaging from management organizations.

Primary Presenter: Gaston Small, University of St. Thomas (gaston.small@stthomas.edu)

Authors:

Gaston Small, University of St. Thomas  (gaston.small@stthomas.edu)

Jacob Angus, University of Minnesota  (angus026@umn.edu)

Joseph Bergeron, University of St. Thomas  (joey.bergeron@sthomas.edu)

Megan West, University of St. Thomas  (megan.west@stthomas.edu)

Bonnie Keeler, University of Minnesota  (keel0041@umn.edu)

Jacques Finlay, University of Minnesota  (jfinlay@umn.edu)