Putting Oxygen into Lake Merritt

Putting Oxygen into Lake Merritt

How we can help water quality in Oakland's urban tidal estuary, Lake Merritt? An interactive talk featuring guest Eli Kersh of LakeTech Inc

By Rotary Nature Center Friends

Date and time

Friday, May 31 · 7 - 8pm PDT

Location

Online

About this event

  • 1 hour

Join us for a free online presentation about the challenges of managing low dissolved oxygen in beautiful Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland California. Our guest speaker, Eli Kersh, is a Certified Lake Manager, limnologist and President the LakeTech corporation, currently working with the City of Oakland on the Lake Merritt Water Quality Management Plan. Eli was among the first professionals to respond to the catastrophic fish kill in August 2022, when oxygen in the lake dropped to zero because of a harmful algal bloom. Partnering with the Lake Merritt Institute, LakeTech installed 24/7 monitoring equipment, ever since infusing discussions of Lake Merritt management strategies with an up-to-date background of relevant high-quality seasonal data. He has proposed and is testing cutting-edge technological solutions to maintain acceptable dissolved oxygen levels and envision rescue actions in case of new severe low oxygen events.

The city is now entering the second year of a two-year pilot study of LakeTech's water quality infrastructure in Lake Merritt. What a great time to catch us all up on water quality, how we impact it, what we can do, and if/how we can control it. Please bring your questions, your thoughts and your love for Lake Merritt, "The Jewell of Oakland," to Lakeside Chat #43!

Organized by

The Rotary Nature Center Friends is a citizen’s group advocating for the Rotary Nature Center in Lakeside Park as an interpretive education and science center for all the people of Oakland and as the Steward for the Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge.