Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-09-09
INFORMATION ABOUT LARGER
BODIES OF WATER In IDAHO
and WASHINGTON.
Chelan Is Deepest, 1905 Feet-Coeur
d'Alene is 200 Feet Deep-Examina-
lions Made by Profs. Kemmerer and
Notwithstanding Data Given
About Water, Fish and Plant Life.

the University of New Mexico, and
John Freeman Bovard, professor in
zoology at the University of Oregon,
who recently completed series of in
vestigations on lakes in eastern Wash
ington and northern Idaho for the
United States bureau of fisheries, were
entertained at luncheon by the Spo-
kane Chamber of Commerce recently,
when they gave condensed reports of
their work.
DIR. Kemmerer said, in part:
"'The depth of the lakes is one of
the first things we have to determine.
Although one of the simplest tests, it
often proves highly interesting. The
people living around lake usually have
a vague idea of its depth. In many
cases they are reported 1000 or more
feet in depth and even bottomless.
Occur 'Alene was reported to be 400
feet Hayden lake was thought to be
forestry men at Priest lake expected to
find 1900 feet of water where they were
laying telephone cable in one of the
narrowest parts of the lake. Pend
Oreille and Chelan lakes were reported
as bottomless. On the former the
Northern Pacific railroad company IS
men were reported to have failed to
find bottom off Granite point with $500
feet of wire. The deepest water we
have found in the lakes of the district
is ahout as follows.
Depths of Different Lakes.
"Chelan, 1903; Pend Oreille, 1880;
Priest, $50; Sullivan, 315; Occur
d 'Alene, 200; Hayden, 1876; Clear, 10;
Loon, 1O5; Deer, 80; Spirit, so; Silver,
GO; Twin, &c; Williams, so; Newman,
80; Calvert, 80, and Liberty, 26.
''The bottom of most lakes, contrary
to the general opinion, is fat. Small
deep holes are seldom present. In Hay
den lake there is square mile which
does not vary a foot in depth.
Seasonal Changes Interesting.
''The seasonal changes in lake are
interesting. When a lake is frozen
over the water is quite constant from
top to bottom, both as to temperature,
oxygen and carbon dioxide contents
When the ice goes out in the spring a
change starts. The water at the sur
face warns up from 80 degrees Fahren-
heit to 1872 degrees, where it reaches
its greatest density, when it settles to
the bottom, and the lake is said to turn
over. AS the season proceeds the sur
face is stirred by the waves and warns
up for a depth of from 25 to 40 feet
Below this the water usually stays quite
cold. The line between this warm and
cold water is called the thermocline
This continues as the season advances
until the surface has temperature OF
from 60 to 20 degrees, while the bottom
stays near 1872 degrees.
"Hayden lake, on August %, was
found to have surface temperature OF
67.9 degrees, the temperature at 81
feet was 55.4 degrees, at so feet, So;
degree, at the bottom 40.3 degrees. Be
fore the lake freezes it turns over again
the surface, cooling, reaches a tempera
ture of 1872 degrees, when it settles t
the bottom, while the warmer watel
rises until the entire body turns owe
and the water becomes constant from
top to bottom"
Plankton of the Lakes.
Discussing the biological investiga
tions, Prof. Bovard said that the chic
study is the Plankton of the lakes, add
ing that for his work the microscope
animals and plants alone are needed
edding:
'The purpose of this study is two
fold First, it indicates the amount o
oxygen and carbon dioxide in the water
and thus is a check on the chemica
analysis. The small animals deman'
oxygen to breath the same as highe
animals, so where there is no oxygen il
the water we find the Plankton yer,
scarce, and again where there is abun
dance of oxygen we expect to find abun
dance of Plankton.
Plant Life
"'The study of the plant life in
lake explains the absence and presenc
of oxygen. During the summer, whe
the plant life is growing rapidly In tn
lake water we find small amount o
carbon dioxide and much oxygen. Some
times the water is supersaturated wit
oxygen. Then, toward the close of tn
summer, this abundance of plant lif
dies and falls to the bottom of the LAKE
where it decays and forms carbon dios
ide. Thus, late in the season, we fin
The water at the bottom of lake ma
have but a small fraction of a per cen
of oxygen, where early in the season
contained high percentage. This, o
course, affects the habits Of fish, q
fish cannot live where there is
scarcity of oxygen. This is especial
so of the trout. Shallow lakes al
usually warm, and therefore eontai