Table Rock Lk. Btwn Campbell Point Rd And Hendrickson School Rd Lake Water Quality Trend

Reading Table Rock Lk. Btwn Campbell Point Rd And Hendrickson School Rd Lake's trajectory

Table Rock Lk. Btwn Campbell Point Rd And Hendrickson School Rd Lake's overall water-quality trend across the 5-year sample window is improving. That's a real signal — multi-year improvements at a single lake typically reflect either reduced upstream loading (less fertilizer, less stormwater, less point-source discharge) or a successful TMDL implementation. The improvement isn't always linear; expect year-to-year noise, but the multi-year direction is the reliable read.

A 5-year sample window is enough to surface directional trends but short enough that one or two unusual weather years can still influence the read. Use the trend as a signal, but combine it with the most recent absolute Grade rather than relying on direction alone. The state environmental agency's lake-specific monitoring reports often add context that a five-year trend line by itself can't carry.

Clarity (Secchi depth), phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a are the three metrics most consistently sampled across years and most useful as trend indicators. Clarity captures the visible signal — how deep you can see into the water. Phosphorus is the primary nutrient driving algal growth in most lakes. Chlorophyll-a measures algal biomass directly. Together they describe the same underlying water-quality state from three angles; when all three agree on direction, the trend signal is strong.

How to read this

• Clarity (Secchi depth): deeper visibility is better. An upward line means the water is getting clearer.
• Phosphorus & Chlorophyll-a: lower is better. A downward line means fewer nutrients fueling algae growth.
• Year-to-year variability is normal. Weather, sample timing, and short-window data all add noise. Look at direction, not single-year jumps.

Methodology

Each metric is calculated from EPA Water Quality Portal samples. Annual values are the median of all samples taken that year. The trend direction comes from a linear regression of those annual medians; we classify it as improving, declining, or stable when the change-per-year is below 2% of the long-run mean. The current cache spans roughly 2020–2024, which is a short window for climate-scale claims. Use this page to spot direction and as a launch point — link out to the EPA WQP for the raw record before citing as evidence.