Who Runs the Clean Lake Water Testing on Simonton Lake in Elkhart, IN?

Keeping Simonton Lake clean and healthy requires more than simply looking at the water and deciding whether it appears clear. Regular water-quality monitoring provides valuable information about nutrients, algae, clarity, and other conditions that can affect the lake's ecosystem. For residents of Simonton Lake in Elkhart, Indiana, an important part of this work is conducted through the Indiana Clean Lakes Program, with help from local volunteers.  The program is particularly important because Simonton Lake has a large residential community and is heavily used for boating, fishing, swimming, and other recreational activities.

Indiana Clean Lakes Program
The primary statewide program involved in this monitoring is the Indiana Clean Lakes Program (INCLP). The program was developed in partnership with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and is administered through Indiana University's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. INCLP has conducted statewide lake monitoring since 1989.  The program uses both professional researchers and trained volunteers to gather information about Indiana lakes. Its testing can include measurements such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, water transparency, nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll.
This makes the program much more than simply checking whether the water "looks clean." Scientists can use the information to identify long-term trends and potential environmental problems.

Local Volunteers Play an Important Role
One of the most interesting aspects of the Clean Lakes Program is that local residents can participate in collecting data.  Simonton Lake became part of the Indiana Clean Lakes Program in 2022. According to the Simonton Lake Area Homeowners Association, the first monitoring seasons concentrated on water transparency, which is measured using a Secchi disk. A volunteer lowers the disk into the lake and records the depth at which it can no longer be seen.

The Simonton Lake monitoring effort has included local volunteer Lesa Hershberger and her team, who were specifically recognized for submitting numerous batches of monitoring data. Indiana's statewide volunteer-monitoring report also identifies Lesa Hershberger as the primary volunteer associated with Simonton Lake.
This volunteer component is extremely valuable. Local residents can collect information regularly and help create a much longer record of changes than a single occasional study could provide.

What Is Being Tested?
Water monitoring on Simonton Lake can involve several different measurements depending on the particular program or sampling effort.
The Clean Lakes Program looks at characteristics including:

• Water clarity
• Temperature
• Dissolved oxygen
• pH
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Chlorophyll
• Conductivity
• Plankton and other biological indicators

The program explains that volunteer monitoring supplements professional assessments by allowing trained citizen scientists to collect information over longer periods.

Local monitoring has also provided useful information about Simonton Lake's clarity. The Simonton Lake Area Homeowners Association reported that the lake's average clarity during the busy summer months of 2023 was approximately 7.9 feet, with a yearly maximum of 9.1 feet and minimum of 7.1 feet.

Other Water Monitoring Takes Place, Too
It is important to understand that the Clean Lakes Program isn't necessarily the only organization or agency collecting water samples in the Simonton Lake area.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) conducts its own surface-water monitoring throughout Indiana. IDEM collects and analyzes water and biological samples from lakes, rivers, and streams as part of its statewide monitoring responsibilities.

There have also been Elkhart-area monitoring programs that included Simonton Lake sampling locations. For example, Elkhart-area surface-water reports have documented sampling at locations on Simonton Lake and included measurements such as dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, conductivity, nitrates, phosphorus, total suspended solids, and E. coli.

Therefore, when discussing "water testing" on Simonton Lake, it is helpful to distinguish between the various monitoring programs rather than assuming that one organization performs every test.

What About the Simonton Lake Conservancy District?
The Simonton Lake Conservancy District also plays an important role in protecting and managing the lake, but it should not automatically be considered the organization performing every water-quality test.
The Conservancy District has responsibilities involving drainage, erosion, operation and maintenance, recreation, and sewage. Its history is closely connected to efforts to improve water quality around Simonton Lake, particularly through development of the community sewer system.
The Simonton Lake Area Homeowners Association also has an Environment Committee that focuses on water quality, water clarity, invasive species, and the ecological balance of the lake and watershed. The committee communicates environmental issues with the Conservancy District.
In other words, maintaining Simonton Lake's environmental health involves several organizations, agencies, researchers, and community volunteers.
Why the Testing MattersWater testing gives the Simonton Lake community objective information about what's happening beneath the surface.
Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are particularly important because excessive concentrations can contribute to algae and aquatic plant growth. Changes in water clarity can also provide clues about sediment, algae, and other conditions within the lake.
Long-term monitoring is especially useful because one water sample represents only a moment in time. Collecting measurements repeatedly throughout the year and across multiple years makes it possible to identify trends.
For a recreational lake like Simonton Lake, that information can help residents and lake-management organizations make better decisions about conservation, vegetation management, runoff, and other environmental concerns.
A Community EffortUltimately, clean water on Simonton Lake is a community responsibility. The Indiana Clean Lakes Program provides the scientific framework and training, Indiana University administers the statewide program, state agencies provide additional monitoring and oversight, and local volunteers contribute valuable observations and measurements.
Residents also have an important role. Limiting fertilizer runoff, properly maintaining septic or sewer connections, preventing erosion, keeping pollutants out of stormwater, and avoiding unnecessary disturbance of shoreline habitat can all contribute to the lake's long-term health.
ConclusionThe Clean Lake water testing on Simonton Lake isn't handled by just one person or organization. The Indiana Clean Lakes Program, administered through Indiana University's O'Neill School in partnership with IDEM, provides an important statewide monitoring framework, while trained Simonton Lake volunteers collect valuable local data.
Additional monitoring by state and local programs helps provide an even broader picture of water quality.
For Simonton Lake residents, this ongoing testing is an important resource. It transforms observations about the lake into measurable information that can help the community protect one of Elkhart County's most important natural and recreational resources.