Look at the river below the dams and you can see this off-colored water. It occurs at least twice a year in the spring and fall (sometimes more if there are heavy rainstorms) where the upper and lower levels of your water body mix together. This can use up oxygen to a point where it is stressful or even fatal to fish in confined areas. Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2009 — General. I wanted to know more so I checked out "A Quick Lesson on Lakes" on the Lakes Environmental Association website. It occurs at least twice a year in the spring and fall (sometimes more if there are heavy rainstorms) where the upper and lower levels of your water body mix together. Temperature changes typically cause the foul odour around Niven Lake once or twice a year — during spring and fall as the lake water turns over, said Dennis Kefalas, the city’s director of public works and engineering. "You have to avoid it like the plague," he says. Lakes often have a peculiar smell during turnover because decomposition produces sulfur compounds that stink. It says: Winter is a slow time for lakes … In many lakes, the color of the water also changes and becomes cloudy. This turnover occurs every year when the colder water in the mid ranges of lakes begins to float to the surface. Lakes and reservoirs in Ohio usually have two turnover periods, one in the fall and another in the spring. The deepest layer, the hypolimnion, is the coldest. It seems if people experience a change in the taste or smell of the water at the tap, they say “well the lake must be turning over.” If the fish stop biting one Saturday, they blame it on lake turnover. The lake won't be stratified enough to have a significant turnover, meaning there won't be much if any difference in the bass' location. Sometimes there is even a distinct smell as decomposing plants, algae and other matter surfaces. Have you ever gone to a lake or reservoir in the fall to find that it smells like sulfur, has a unusual color, and decomposing vegetation in the water? Coming from the Biologist I thought this might help clear up some of the mis-understanding about fall turnover. What you are witnessing is a lake or reservoir turnover. This is true for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that without water, life as we know it would not exist. During fall turnover, the clarity of a lake usually decreases because mixing brings up nutrient rich water from the bottom of the lake and causes the lake to look cloudy. Lake Mendota with its large size and deep water is the last lake in the Chain to turnover. The sun’s radiation does not reach this cold, dark layer. Sometimes, especially after lots of cooler weather, cold rain, and constant higher winds a lake can undergo a mini-turnover. Lake turnover occurs naturally twice a year when the temperatures change drastically and forces the cold and warm waters to churn. 2. The process is complete by the time ice forms on the surface. Lake Wisconsin and the Wisconsin River do not have a fall turnover because they have current and a water flow that keeps the water circulating year-round. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity. When you find an area that fits this description, you should heed Wirth's next bit of advice. When this happens the entire water column will mix or “turnover”. Natural History Note – Lake Turnover. A stale rotten smell may … Lake turnover continues to occur in different areas all over the lake. Fall turnover changes more than just temperature. Water is quite possibly the most fascinating substance on earth. Then, when turnover is complete, the clarity increases dramatically. Lake turnover is a phenomenon that generally occurs twice a year, spring and fall. This normally occurs after a heavy rain and a drop in temperature and decomposing sediment and leaves on the bottom of the lake releasing natural odors that smell like sulfur or rotten eggs. Turnover: Pond or lake turnover is often a reason why your water smells really bad at different times. It is heated by the sun. “Normally, 94% comes from Lake Taneycomo. You can often see and smell it. There will also be a (rotten egg) smell, and you'll start to see a lot of bubbles." Whether it occurs in spring or fall, lake turnover affects oxygen levels in the water. : Algae bloom is an easy way to explain to the general public. (Asked by a concerned, anonymous lake dweller, of Greenwood, S.C.) We can even track spring turnover with a Secchi disk, by measuring water clarity. Now it’s down to 22% with 78% coming from wells,” Ray said. 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