(117az) Physicochemical Characterization and Water Quality Assessment of the Cane Creek Lake: A Potential Freshwater Resource Located in Cookeville, TN

Cane Creek Lake is a freshwater reservoir located in Cookeville, TN-USA. The lake covers an area of approximately 270 acres, and it is at the heart of the Cane Creek Recreational Park. The lake collects water from the surrounding hills located near the City of Cookeville. In general, the freshwater’s fraction on the earth’s surface is 2.5% of which only 1% is suitable for drinking purposes. Lakes account for 0.3% of the total surface waterbody sources, and have been historically utilized to meet human water demands. However, water quality of lakes is constantly affected by geographical, climate, and human factors including, for example, hydrology, geology, terrestrial cover, human and animal activities, and climate changes, among others. Therefore, lakes’ water quality must be assessed by using various physicochemical parameters in order to determine the feasibility of the water for city consumption. To assess the possibility of providing water to the City of Cookeville from this source, samples were taken from upstream and downstream and parameters including pH, conductivity, TSS, DO, COD, turbidity, total alkalinity, and hardness were measured in order to evaluate lake’s water quality. One of the goals of this study is to determine current water quality and conditions to identify possible treatments needed for the water to become suitable for consumption in the City of Cookeville. The results showed that COD, turbidity, and alkalinity quantities exceed the maximum limits, and this outcome suggests that further treatments are needed.

Keywords: Water Quality Assessment, Cane Creek Lake, Freshwater, COD