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Federal Agencies Present Plan of Attack for Harmful Algal Blooms |
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A group of three federal agencies has presented a plan for minimizing the impacts of freshwater algal blooms, some of which have harmed the Lake Erie ecosystem.
A copy of the report is available here.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science and Technology Council report, which was mandated by Congress in 2004, also sets forth priorities in dealing with algal blooms.
During the mid- to late-1960s, seasonal algal blooms occurred throughout Lake Erie’s western basin. Mats of blue-green algae washed ashore, fouling beaches. Although blooms occurred annually in the 1970s, the number and intensity decreased as phosphorus levels declined. By the early 1980s, massive blooms had ceased.
After the invasion of the zebra mussels, however, large algal blooms were again reported. A massive bloom in 1995 resembled green paint and extended over the entire surface of the western basin.
During the first decade of this century, blooms of the toxic algae, Microcystis, have been commonly reported, including a massive bloom persisted for almost a month in August 2003. Beaches, recreational boating and sportfishing have been negatively impacted. The Microcystis bloom of 2003, perhaps the most severe in Lake Erie's recent history, was only the latest in a trend towards increasing frequency of Microcystis blooms in the last decade.
Microcystis blooms are of particular concern. Microcystis is poor food for the tiny grazing crustaceans (zooplankton) that are, in turn, important food for larval fish. Microcystis also often contains a potent toxin called microcystin that when ingested by animals may damage the liver. Moreover, most municipalities along the lakeshore obtain drinking water from Lake Erie. Water treatment procedures seem to be effective in removing the toxin; to date, no toxin has been reported in drinking water supplies.
For more information about algal blooms in the western basin, click here.
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