Limnology of Oneida Lake with emphasis on factors contributing to algal blooms

Oneida Lake is a naturally eutrophic lake that has existed for about 10,500 years. It has been in a eutrophic state for at least 350 years, and the geochemically derived dissolved materials entering the lake from the drainage basin are of sufficient quantity (449,700 tones per year) to support annual algal blooms. The greatest amount of the dissolved materials (72 percent) comes from the southern tributaries to the lake, of which Chittenango Creek carries the largest load of almost all major chemical substances. The stream contributes 37 percent of all dissolved solids entering the lake. Ground water is negligible in both the water and the nutrient budgets.