Managers say water movement at Quemado Lake is being improved
Posted at: 09/27/2009 3:51 PM
By: The Associated Press
QUEMADO, N.M. (AP) - Two metal objects resembling spacecraft sit on the surface of Quemado Lake, helping improve water circulation.
Gila National Forest officials say the solar-power reservoir circulators were recently installed on the popular fishing lake 19 miles south of Quemado.
They work by pulled colder, oxygen-deficient water from the bottom of the lake and spreading it along the surface. The colder water then falls back through the water, providing continuous mixing.
The forest installed two circulators, called SolarBees, in the Mimbres Valley in 2007.
Quemado District Ranger Janice Stevenson says that although it's too early to measure what those circulators have meant, monitoring indicates water quality has improved overall.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Print Story
