In a positive development for public health and environmental officials in Ohio, experts reckon algae removal efforts have been successful in Lake Erie.

Officials in Ohio have publicly warned about the threat that blue green algae blooms pose in waterways throughout the state. Lake Erie is one of the most important economic drivers in the Buckeye State, and a steady growth in blue green algae blooms in the Great Lake over the past few years has hurt businesses that rely on the lake for tourism.

Over the past year, officials have teamed with scientists to more effectively protect Lake Erie against the spread of blue green algae blooms. Lawmakers and experts have mulled a number of different initiatives aimed at tackling the problem, including the use of alum in water treatment and the application of nutrient removal chemicals to affected lakes, rivers and streams.

The use of such treatments would help cut off some of the most significant sources of the algae blooms' growth, phosphorous and nitrogen. A marked uptick in nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations in waterways throughout the state has been linked to the rapid spread of the toxic algae blooms, and officials have worked to cut such levels.

The Associated Press reports that such efforts appear to have made a dent in the public health problem. Experts recently noted that although algae blooms would likely appear earlier this year in Lake Erie's western basin, they are increasingly confident that they would not be as densely packed as last year, when they hit record levels.

Ohio, along with other states in the Midwest, has enjoyed a relatively mild spring with little rainfall. Officials said that heavy rains in 2011 fueled the growth of the algae blooms in Lake Erie, as the excess precipitation helped cause a jump in the spillage of phosphorous-rich fertilizers from farms in the state. The drop in agricultural runoff this year is playing a major role in slowing the algae blooms' spread, experts noted.

Thomas Bridgeman, an algae researcher at the University of Toledo, said that recent data suggest the algae blooms would be thinner on Lake Erie. He warned, on the other hand, that a sizeable amount of algae continue to lurk at the bottom of the lake. He said that such bottom-dwelling algae blooms could easily be disrupted, complicating algae removal efforts.

 

Posted on May 15th, 2012 under Agricultural Runoff, Lake and Pond Algae Control, Wastewater News, Water Regulations