hello all - I summer on a pond in central MA - we have seen a remarkable display of long-lasting bubbles: formed when splashing during swimming and when rain drops fall in straight down ( not any of that lately with the drought). Any thoughts on the substance in the water causing this?
bubbles in pond water: cause?
Is there an unusual amount of algae? Something is changing the surface tension.
If you suspect that there might be something in the water that shouldn't be there, I would call your local town hall and ask when the last water test was done and if they could send you a report. All water tests are public info. You may even be able to find a report on-line.
Unfortunately the only time i've seen that problem down at the lake is when someone is illegally piping there wash water into the lake. :(
the water quality of this pond is excellent and there are no algae. Some rooting on the internet reveals that bubbles and surface tension are very complex. Bubbles can be stabilized by gradients in surface tension which in turn can be caused by temperature gradients - possibly the extraordinarily hot weather is one factor. Interestingly, the phenomenon disappeared when it cooled off !