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Steve McComas: The many ways springs impact lakes

In February 2012, the Lake Detective got a call to check Lake Marion, in Lakeville, Minn. A mysterious open water area formed near shore. He dropped in a conductivity probe in the open water. The lower conductivity in that area compared to the middle of the lake supported groundwater inflow as the culprit for producing open water. (Photo by Steve McComas)

Recently, I saw a red powder-like substance on a sandy lake bottom. I wondered what it was and how it got there. It wasn’t algae. It wasn’t paint. With a little more investigation turns out it was “rust.” The red particles were red iron precipitates. That was a tipoff to how it got there.

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