About 15.4 tons of phosphorus that washes off the land ?EUR??,,????'??+ from lawns, golf courses, farm fields and septic tanks ?EUR??,,????'??+ enters White Lake each year, according to a study by scientists at Grand Valley State University?EUR??,,????'???s Annis Water Resources Institute. That amount is equal to dumping 774 40-pound bags of pure phosphorus into the lake annually.

?EUR??,,????'??The phosphorus levels are relatively high and have the potential to cause environmental problems in the lake,?EUR??,,????'?? said Alan Steinman, director of GVSU?EUR??,,????'???s Water Resources Institute and co-author of the White Lake study.

GVSU scientists and property owners around White Lake said the phosphorus is contributing to rampant weed and algae growth in the lake?EUR??,,????'???s shallow areas. The biomass of aquatic vegetation in the lake doubled between 1975 and 1996, according to data compiled by GVSU scientist Mark Luttenton.