Expect a bit of a chill if you go swimming in Lake Wingra today. Surface water temperatures have dropped from about 79 degrees four weeks ago to about 72 degrees today. Children at the Wingra summer camp spent less time in the water today because of the diminished temperatures.
How do we measure the water temperature? We use a temperature probe attached to a dissolved oxygen meter (see picture above). We measure both temperature and dissolved oxygen levels at different depths at the deepest part of Lake Wingra (Image 1).
Water clarity is about the same as it has been the last few weeks. The good news is the lack of aquatic plants near the surface of the water. We still find paddling in most parts of the lake much more enjoyable than last year!
