State officials to testify about algae bloom

A tall glass of bad Ju-Ju (photo courtesy the SanduskyRegister.com)

As reported in the Port Clinton News-Herald today, there will be a subcommittee field hearing of the House of Representatives Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee on the health of Lake Erie from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at the Lake Erie Islands Regional Welcome Center, 770 S.E. Catawba Road. The hearing is being held by Ohio Reps. Dennis Murray, D-Sandusky, and Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green.

State officials and environmental experts will be testifying to a panel of state legislators. Among those expected to testify is the newly appointed director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Jim Zehringer, who previously served as the Director of the Department of Agriculture. Ohio Rep. David Hall, R-Millersburg, chairman of the committee, will lead the discussion.

Quoting the News-Herald, "Record-setting size and density of toxic algae blooms over the last two summers have drawn a new focus on the health and future of Lake Erie. Warmer summers in the already warm and shallow lake along with increased phosphorous and other nutrients from farm fertilizer runoff and municipal sewage allow the toxic algae to thrive, but the details of exactly what is to blame or how to fix it remains a challenge for government officials."

The hearing will be open to the public.

Let's not leave the fate of Lake Erie to the politicians

NASA image

When I first saw the NASA satellite photo, I was reminded of all those creepy photos of the lungs of cigarette smokers. If this were an X-ray the doctor would be telling his patient, "I'm afraid we've got some decisions to make."

Indeed we do. Clearly the patient has been ill for a very long time, but like a cancer patient who doesn't want to hear bad news, sometimes the symptoms must first become painfully obvious before the patient -- or in this case the patient's caregivers -- seek treatment.

One very big symptom reared its ugly head this past summer in the form of a massive algae bloom that fanned out across much of the western half of the lake. Suddenly folks who depend on the lake for their livelihood were saying, "Whoa, where did this crap come from?" And then it was all over the news.

And there were less visible though just as ominous symptoms. The dead zones in the central part of the lake may be getting bigger. These are large areas of the lake that are devoid of oxygen, hence nothing can live there. Other serious problems include increased runoff due to bigger rainfalls that put more waste into the lake, and invasive species.

To quote a recent editorial at BuffaloNews.com, something is going very wrong in Lake Erie.

So what do we do? Continuing with the medical analogy, we shouldn't just trust the doctors -- or the politicians -- to make everything better. Groups have been meeting and discussing options for controlling the algae bloom situation. On the invasive species front the EPA has proposed stricter rules for ship ballast water.

That's all well and good, but we as citizens have a roll to play, too, and one group has stepped forward to do just that. SaveLakeErie.com was formed "to raise public awareness, rally support and educate residents on how they can help save Lake Erie on a person level at home." I blogged about their site a while back and, due to the sparsity of content on their site, asked, rhetorically, whether it might be someone's idea of a joke. Well just the other day I received an email from Todd at SaveLakeErie.com who told me,

No, this is not our idea of a joke. A cursory analysis of all the websites for water, Great Lakes & Lake Erie groups were all dry, boring, dated and not exciting. With the current economic woes, people have bigger problems like saving their home let alone saving Lake Erie. It’s a huge challenge getting people to not only pay attention but care. We are a team of world class social media, viral marketing and branding professionals who are taking a different approach to get people’s attention and raise awareness. Most of all to educate and let people know there ARE things they can do to help, on a personal level and at home. We have more videos up and more on the way.

Thanks, Todd. You guys have got some great content up now including some fun videos and, most important, a practical list of 10 things you can do to save Lake Erie. Great stuff. I encourage everyone to check out their website, fan them on Facebook and spread the word about those ten things.

We can't leave it to the politicians to save our lake.

The Algae Bloom is dying and should be totally gone within a week

According to the latest Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) bulletin, issued today by NOAA, imagery indicates that the bloom in western Lake Erie is dying. However the bloom persists around the Bass Islands, Pelee Island, and Kelleys Island extending to Cleveland. The bloom is expected to move east while not going past Cleveland.

This is big turnaround from the previous report less than a week ago. The reason given? "High winds last week likely stressed and mixed the bloom in the water column."

According to this latest HAB, forecasted winds will most likely continue to stress the bloom. Additionally falling water temperatures this week will contribute to bloom stress and continued weakening. The bloom demise is expected within a week.

Algae bloom reaches Fairport Harbor as scientific report urges cautious approach

MERIS image from the European Space Agency taken October 11 (courtesy NOAA)

Despite the onset of fall and cooler temperatures in Lake Erie, a large Microcystis bloom persists in the western end of the lake, extending well past Cleveland to the east, according to NOAA, who reported on Thursday that the eastern extent was just past Fairport Harbor. The bloom also hugs the northen shore in Ontario, to the Rondeau Provincial Park region. NOAA forecasting calls for the bloom to continue moving eastward as far as Geneva on the Lake, and remain offshore. However, the northern portion of the bloom was expected to dissipate.

This latest Harmful Algal Bloom bulletin was released coincidental to a report by the International Joint Commission, a U.S.-Canadian agency that advises both nations on issues affecting the Great Lakes, which cautioned that the scientific evidence about the causes are still too sketchy and that further study of the problem is needed. The report, and the latest HAB bulletin, also came amid increasing demands by some for quick action.

It's widely believed that phosphorus runoff from farms and municipal waste treatment plants is a leading cause of the algae problem, but climate change and invasive mussels are also considered factors. However, these assumptions are based largely on observations rather than scientific experimentation, the report says. Joseph Koonce, the co-chairman of the group that wrote the report, said further research is needed to determine the roles of each of the presumed causes.

When overabundant algae choked Lake Erie decades ago, cities improved sewage treatment and laundry detergents containing phosphorus were banned. But the problem has in recent years, and in particular this past summer, when,  scientists say, algae covered more of Lake Erie than it has in a half-century.

There is disagreement among some scientists and activists about how best to attack the problem. Many are pushing government officials for quick action. The Environmental Protection Agency announced last Wednesday that three watersheds plagued with algae including the Maumee River, which flows into Lake Erie, would receive special attention as part of a pending Great Lakes restoration program. And environmental groups as well as private charter boat operators want something done right away.

If next summers algae bloom turns out to be as bad as or worse than it was this year, I suspect that the hue and cry for strong and immediate action will outweigh the pleadings of scientists.

Summer of Algae: Of hype and the hope

Rich Norgard photo

I hate to say I told you so, but...

If you've been following this blog you know I've been posting regular updates about the status of the algae bloom in Lake Erie. In particular, the Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Bulletins put out by NOAA have painted a consistently dim picture as this wandering sea of green slime wrapped itself around the western islands and kept going.


Now media of every stripe are shouting about the summer of algae -- how this is the worst that its ever been and how we'd better take some action to fix it before its too late. Of course, if you grew up in near Lake Erie during or since the 1960s you know that algae blooms in the lake are nothing new. You also know that this year has been different. The bloom has been far more persistent and widespread. And the experts say its potentially life threatening, to people, animals, you name it.


We know the primary causes of the algae blooms are municipal wastewater discharge and farm runoff. The question is, do we have the political will to take the steps necessary to solve the problem? The solutions will not be simple, or cheap. We won't be able to toss a magic tablet into the water and make the nasty stuff disappear. Nor can we wish it away.


To get some action in this political environment you have to frame it around jobs: If we don't fix this the hit to our tourism and fishing industries will be $xx.xx billion. As if the health of our children was not reason to do something. Those who want to eliminate the EPA use the twisted logic that it is costing jobs, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the lack of stewardship of our air and water will result in thousands of death and injuries, countless lost work days, cleanup costs, etc., etc. (does anyone really believe that the the EPA haters want to destroy it to save jobs, as opposed to, say, do the bidding of lobbyists?)


This may perhaps put to the ultimate test the notion, so prevalent today in this poisoned atmosphere of shrinking budgets and toxic politics, that we have to choose between jobs and the environment. You can't be on the sidelines on this one -- you have to make a choice. Are you on the side of those who believe we just can't afford to have clean air and water? Or do you believe that maybe, just maybe, by working together we can give ourselves the clean air and water we and our children deserve AND still have a functioning economy. You have to decide.

So if it takes some political posturing and pandering, if that results in some action, put me down. Because this yucky green stuff is hurting the lake.

On second thought, I don't mind saying I told you so when it comes to the health of Lake Erie, the environment, and all of us.

The green stuff is still out there

In case you've been wondering if all the green stuff is still out there on the lake, read on. According to the latest Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Bulletin, issued by NOAA on Thursday, a Microcystis bloom persists in Western Lake Erie. Analysis indicates that winds have transported the bloom up the Michigan Coast. The high winds likely mixed and stressed the bloom. It is expected there is additional biomass within the western basin that would likely resurface with low wind stress. Water temperatures remain high enough to allow continued maintenance of the bloom.

Translation: the green still is going to be with us a while longer, at least until the water cools down a bit more. Here you can view the latest HAB Bulletin in its entirety.

Latest HAB Bulletin shows a "massive" bloom persists

MERIS image from the European Space Agency. Imagery shows the spectral shape at 681 nm from September 03, where colored pixels indicate the likelihood of the last known position of the Microcystis spp. bloom (with red being the highest concentration). Microcystis spp. abundance data from shown as white squares (very high), circles (high), diamonds (medium), triangles (low) , + (very low) and X (not present). (Courtesy NOAA)

Nowcast position of Microcystis spp. bloom for September 08 using GLCFS modeled currents to move the bloom from the September 03 image, above. (courtesy NOAA)

According to a Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Bulletin issued September 8th, a massive Microcystis bloom persists throughout most of Lake Erie's Western Basin. 

Here's the NOAA Analysis, as taken from the HAB Bulletin: As indicated in satellite imagery from Saturday (9/3/2011), an enormous Microcystis bloom was present in western Lake Erie. The southern extent of the bloom was remotely observed along the coast of Ohio from Maumee Bay to Catawba Island. The northern extent of the bloom was observed to be consistent along the Michigan coast from Northern Maumee Bay to the mouth of the Detroit River. The eastern-most portion of the bloom was observed past Point Pelee and to the northeast up in to Rondeau Provincial Park.

At the mouth of the Detroit River, a five day nowcast shows a southward suppression of the western-most portions of the bloom. However, the bloom is likely to still persist in much of the Western Basin. The nowcast also suggest the bloom has spread to the east of Sandusky and into the Cleveland area. (Note: Due to a lack of clear imagery the bloom has not been remotely observed in the Cleveland area.) A three day forecast also suggests that the bloom will persist to the north of Cleveland through the weekend. Water temperatures remain above 20 degrees Celsius and are forecast to decrease into the weekend; however, conditions remain favorable for bloom growth.

You can download a PDF of the HAB Bulletin here.

Finger pointing over cause of phosphorus won't heal a dying lake

Sewage from municipal plants in Detroit, Toledo and other cities along Lake Erie contribute just as much phosphorus to the lake as manure and fertilizer runoff from farms,  according to a U.S. Geological Survey study. Phosphorus, a byproduct of sewage, fertilizers and manure, is responsible for the toxic blue-green algae that excrete liver and nerve toxins which can sicken people and kill fish and wildlife.

The study's finding that cities are just as much to blame as farms for toxic algae polluting Lake Erie comes as a surprise to Ohio's scientists, who previously thought that farm runoff was responsible for as much as 60 percent of phosphorus in Lake Erie, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

I have reported extensively on the algae issue and pass along Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletins as soon as I receive them. The algae threaten Lake Erie's $10 billion-a-year fishing and tourism industry. Algae cause "dead zones" in parts of Lake Erie and other bodies of water where no oxygen exists, making them uninhabitable.

The current bloom of algae in Lake Erie has caused public beaches at Maumee Bay and Kelley's Island to issue health warnings.

Peter Richards, a water-quality researcher at Heidelberg University's National Center for Water Quality Research, told the Columbus Dispatch that there is some discrepancy in the data; however, Geological Survey research hydrologist Dale Robertson said he stands by his computer modeling, which shows that sewage plant cleanup ordered by the government in the 1980s didn't cut enough phosphorous.

Maumee River is the leading supplier of phosphorous into Lake Erie, with 82.6 percent of it coming from farms, according to Heidelberg.  The second largest source of phosphorus is the Detroit River, with nearly 75 percent coming from sewage-treatment plants.

According to the study, here is how it breaks down: 42.1 percent of Lake Erie's phosphorous comes from sewage, 43.6 coming from farms, while the remaining nearly 15% comes from decaying plant matter in forests and lawn fertilizer that gets washed into storm sewers.

Sandy Bihn of Lake Erie Waterkeeper said officials should order further phosphorous cuts at Detroit's sewage treatment plant. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio's largest farm trade group, was quick to concur. The federation has been saying that farms are not solely to blame for algae in Ohio's lakes and ponds.

It looks like farms and sewage are about equally responsible here, with farms having a slight edge. But the larger point, I think, is that we know what's causing the explosion of phosphorus in the lake, so rather than fight over who's more at fault, or point fingers, we need to take action NOW. For the sake of the lake, the health of our families, and out very future.

To really understand and appreciate the problem, read Lake Erie Death Watch by Barry Yeoman.

Here's what I don't understand: Millions of people like myself enjoy all that Lake Erie has to offer and appreciate its large significance as a source of sustainable fresh water for ourselves and future generations, as well as an engine of economic health for the many millions of people who live near its shores. Erie has more consumable fish than all the other Great Lakes combined, provides drinking water for 11 million people, and is a major recreational and tourist attraction. It's of one of Ohio’s top economic engines, providing thousands of jobs and nearly a billion dollars in economic activity to the state.

So why are we treating it like a sewer?

Algae bloom persists in Western Lake Erie

MERIS image from the European Space Agency. Imagery shows the spectral shape at 681 nm from August 28, where colored pixels indicate the likelihood of the last known position of the Microcystis spp. bloom (with red being the highest concentration). Microcystis spp. abundance data from shown as white squares (very high), circles (high), diamonds (medium), triangles (low) , + (very low) and X (not present). Please note: Colored pixels in Sandusky Bay are due to a mixed bloom dominated by Planktothrix spp. (Image caption from the HAB Bulletin - Courtesy NOAA)

The latest HAB Bulletin, issued yesterday based on imagery acquired on August 28th, states that a large Microcystis bloom continues in Western Lake Erie. Due to a large cloud present the models do not show the protential full extent of the bloom. Wind conditions and high temperatures are conducive for bloom intensification. View a PDF of the bulletin, with imagery, here.

Tests show high levels of liver toxin in Lake Erie water

Photo credit: Sierra Club

Tests of Lake Erie water at a beach in Maumee Bay revealed high levels of a liver toxin in the water, prompting the strengthening of a health warning for toxic algae. The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that while a previous warning at Maumee Bay State Park's beach in Lucas County told people not to touch blue-green algae scum or swallow lake water, that warning has now been upgraded to recommend against swimming and wading, after tests detected a liver toxin called microcystin in concentrations more than twice as high as the World Health Organization's safety standard for swimmers.

The Dispatch cites researchers as saying that toxic algae across the western basin of Lake Erie is the worst recorded there since they began tracking it in 2002.

Last Thursday state officials posted a warning at the Kelleys Island public beach recommending swimmers not touch the algae or swallow the water. Test results on toxins at that site are pending.

A University of Toledo ecologist who studies Lake Erie's harmful algae said this year's bloom covers more area and has lasted longer than the one two years ago. This summer's "algae bloom" already has been deemed 2.5 times denser than a record bloom in 2009, according to tests by the University of Toledo.

Phosphorus from manure, fertilizers and sewage feeds the blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria. Tests performed by Heidelberg University in Tiffin show large amounts of phosphorus flowing into Lake Erie from the Maumee and Sandusky rivers.

In addition to threatening the health of people and pets, blue-green algae also poses a threat to the lake's $10 billion annual tourism industry, according to the Dispatch.

Updated Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletin issued for Western Lake Erie

Photo credit: NOAA

In the film Independence Day there is a scene in which the star, played by Will Smith, is in an aerial dogfight and is taking fire from an alien ship. With an alien craft on his tail he blurts out, "Oh no, you did not shoot that green shit at me!"

I sort of feel like we're in our own environmental version of Independence Day, except that the "green shit" is in Lake Erie and its being fired, not from alien ship, but from farm runoff and industrial and municipal waste. Have you seen this stuff? It's nasty!

Due to the persistence of what is termed a confirmed Microcystis bloom, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an updated Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletin for western Lake Erie. We saw the first one of these just a week ago.

The NOAA bulletin reads in part: A large Microcystis bloom remains in Western Lake Erie. Models indicate an east-southeast transport that is likely to affect the Bass and Pelee Islands. Windy conditions over the past three days have likely caused subsurface mixing of the bloom. Water temperatures remain high and conducive to bloom intensification. Due to cloudy weather this week, the nowcast and forecast imagery do not represent the full possible extent of the bloom.

There are many species of single-celled organisms living in the Great Lakes, including algae. When certain conditions are present, such as high nutrient or light levels, these organisms can reproduce rapidly. This dense population of algae is called a bloom. Some of these blooms are harmless, but when the blooming organisms contain toxins, other noxious chemicals, or pathogens, it is known as a harmful algal bloom, or HAB. HAB's can cause the death of nearby fish and foul up nearby coastlines, and produce harmful conditions to aquatic life as well as humans.The focus of this research project is to determine the factors controlling microcystin production and to develop methods for determining cyanobacteria blooms from satellite imagery. Imagery is currently available, but we do not know how to discriminate toxic Microcystis blooms from other algal blooms within the images. The combined field data and satellite image data produced from the initial efforts of this project are critical first steps in the characterization of bloom dynamics and development of future bloom forecasting tools.

There is no single factor which causes an algal bloom. A combination of optimum factors such as the presence of good nutrients, warm temperatures and lots of light all encourage the natural increase in numbers of blue-green algae in our waterways. Nature mostly takes care of the temperature and light, but the increased presence of nutrients such as phosphorous is largely due to poor farming practices such as high use of fertilizers and presence of livestock near water supplies, as well as effluent and run-off from towns and cities near waterways. The ponding of water and reducing river flow rates tends to improve the light and sometimes the nutrient environment for algal growth making water turbulence a major factor in bloom development. Pesticides and other chemicals may affect the natural grazers which would otherwise control algal growth and their presence increases the risk of blooms.

An experimental HAB bulletin has been developed to provide a weekly forecast forMicrocystis blooms in western Lake Erie. When a harmful bloom is detected by the experimental system, scientists will issue the forecast bulletin below. The bulletin depicts the HABs’ current location and future movement, as well as categorizes its intensity on a weekly basis.

You can view the NOAA bulletin in PDF here. You can sign up to receive Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletins direct via email here. You can view a map of western Lake Erie Microcystis sampling stations and recent sample readings here.

I'll pass on the bulletins just as soon as I see them.

What's It All About, Algae? Meet the Dead Zone!

Algae bloom is represented by green color seen in the western basin.  European Space Agency/NOAA Photo

As reported in Sunday's Toledo Blade, a huge bloom of potentially toxic microcystis algae, which has reared its ugly head almost annually since 1995 after more than a 20-year absence, has been visible from space since at least July 22. European Space Agency satellite photos (one example shown above) show it fanning out toward the Lake Erie islands.

Although the lakes always have small, natural concentrations of algae, heavy spring rain and near-record phosphorus runoff from farms and sewage networks, combined with dry, intense heat and stagnant air of recent weeks, are the likely driving forces behind the bloom.

A Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletin issued by NOAA on July 28 said the microcystis concentration in the algae is 500 times greater than the World Health Organization’s standard (20 micrograms per liter) for recreational water. Not all microcystis contains the deadly toxin microcystin. It is not known how much, if any, of the current bloom has that toxin. If it does, the potential health effects are serious.

Algae choked beach on Catawba Island

But problems associated with phosphorus runoff are not confined to Lake Erie's Western Basin. Stand by for The Dead Zone. No, I'm not referring to the Dead Zone of the Stephen King novel, nor do I mean the movie or TV series of the same name. No I'm referring to the dead zone in Lake Erie.

In recent decades, the bottom waters in the Central Basin of Lake Erie have become anoxic in the late summer. Anoxic means without oxygen. Aquatic creatures, including fish and bottom-dwelling animals, need oxygen in the water to live or they suffocate. The fish may be able to swim to better waters, but most of the other animals cannot. Commercial fishermen of the Central Basin are all too familiar with the dead zone.

The reasons for this annual dead zone were, at first, unclear. So, in June 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in cooperation with many universities and other agencies in the United States and Canada, began an intensive special study to determine the cause of the oxygen depletion in Central Lake Erie.

The study concluded that while the unique configuration of Lake Erie's Central Basin is largely responsible for the problem, too many nutrients, especially phosphorus, make the problem much worse. Most of the excess phosphorus comes from human activities, including sewage treatment plants and agriculture. This animation gives a simplified explanation of how oxygen depletion develops:

The EPA monitors oxygen depletion levels in Lake Erie by taking samplings and doing surveys, primarily from its vessel, Lake Guardian, the only self-contained, non-polluting research vessel on the Great Lakes.

The problems of algae blooms in western Lake Erie and the dead zone in the central basin of the lake are going to be with us for the foreseeable future. These problems are going to require solutions - and vigilance. At a time when funding is becoming scarcer by the year and some politicians suggest killing or at least gutting the EPA and other environmental agencies, the answers are not going to be easy to come by.

Agricultural pollution blamed for Lake Erie blooms, fish woes

The algae is back, and this time the culprit is not, sewage treatment plants, industrial plants and phosphate-rich laundry detergent but farmers. That's according to this article on Cleveland.com by D'Arcy Egan of the Plain Dealer.

In recent years, farmers have been planting more corn to take advantage of high prices driven by the production of ethanol. They are loading fields with phosphate-rich fertilizer to enhance yields. As a result, silt, sediment and fertilizer are finding their way into the Lake Erie watershed. The problem is compounded by the U.S. Corps of Engineers dumping massive amounts of nutrient-rich sediment dredged from the Maumee River into Lake Erie.

The most immediate effect is on fishing. The algae sucks vital oxygen from the lake at lower depth and that drives the fish, notably perch and walleye closer to the surface.

Anglers are finding large numbers of walleye in surprisingly shallow water from Huron to Vermilion where oxygen levels are normal, but not in deeper waters a few miles offshore, where catches had been very good a month ago. In some areas, anglers are finding yellow perch suspending well off the bottom, despite most of their preferred forage is found close to the lake bottom.

I saw a swarm of anglers this past Saturday just to the northwest of Kelly's Island and wonder whether they were catching perch and walleye closer to the surface than normal. As Egan points out, "Unfortunately for Lake Erie anglers who favor perch, walleye and smallmouth bass, the species of fish that do well in eutrophic waters are sheepshead, channel catfish, white bass and white perch."