Lake Michigan clear of toxic algae

What lakes, ponds in New York state have the most blue-green algae blooms? An increase in precipitation could overwhelm this infrastructure – especially those which combine stormwater and sewage in the same system – pushing more nutrients from sewage into waterways where it can feed algae blooms.

But inland lakes like Macatawa, Muskegon and White Lake are at a much more intense risk of producing toxic algal blooms. But industrial farming, which brings with it huge amounts of fertilizer runoff from corn and soybean operations, is at least partly responsible for a recent surge in algae bloom activity in the Great Lakes region. Lake Erie has long been a dumping ground for excess nutrients, as farm and factory runoff sends enormous amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen to its waters every year.

As a bloom spreads throughout the surface layer of lake water, the cyanobacteria release toxins known as microcystins into the environment. The least that could happen, according to Stumpf, if the lake does not have cyanobacteria in high concentrations, is some intestinal trouble. The algae can clog beaches, threaten water systems and create large oxygen deprived “dead zones” that choke off marine life.

“A bloom like this will likely be around well into September”. This combination kills off important plant and microorganism species that live deeper down, and as well as any organisms that depend upon them, worsening the hypoxia in the lake water. For example, Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources has had to issue 131 advisories since 2006-and 17 so far this year-warning people to keep themselves and their pets out of lakes made toxic by these phosphorus-fed blooms.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted a severe harmful algae bloom this year on Lake Erie. “This is more severe than the last year’s 6.5, and may equal or exceed 2013, which had the second worse bloom in this century”. Some development occurred closer to Michigan on Friday, however, some moved eastward in the western basin over the weekend.

It builds on the unprecedented worldwide collaboration among Ohio, Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario to reduce phosphorus runoff into the western basin of Lake Erie by 40 percent over the next decade.

Lake Erie algal bloom, October 9, 2011.