*Blue-green algae advisory in effect*
October 9, 2008
By Booster staff

Aspen Regional Health has issued a blue-green algae toxicity advisory due to a seasonal bloom on Alberta lakes.

Algae blooms occur at this time of the year in certain lakes and the condition eventually subsides. When the algae organisms die and decompose, they can release toxins that may be harmful to humans if ingested by swallowing lake water and toxins may irritate skin by contact. Effects can be immediate or delayed for weeks.

Toxins may also kill wildlife, such as migratory birds, fish and domestic animals.

Algae blooms are a natural occurrence in Alberta lakes and cannot be predicted or prevented.

Weather and lake conditions have combined to cause a substantial increase in algae, which tends to build up where calm water occurs and on-shore winds cause algae to accumulate along shorelines.

The algae appears soupy green, bright blue or as brown material floating on the water’s surface and may have a foul odor.

Aspen Regional Health recommends that local residents and recreational users take appropriate precautions at lakes with a visible floating bloom of algae by not swimming or wading in the water.

Other water-related activities where there is a risk of having direct skin contact with lake water should be avoided.

Alberta Environment also recommends that the public not handle birds, fish or animals found dead on lakes or along shorelines. Anyone suspecting illness in humans, pets or livestock due to swallowing lake water containing blue-green algae should seek immediate medical attention.

http://www.jasperbooster.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1239051

*Stink over Da Lat algal bloom*
October 8, 2008
By Lam Vien

The 38-hectare Xuan Huong Lake, in the heart of Da Lat, is infested with blue-green algae (Microcystis aeruginosa) and polluted with garbage.

Local residents said the lake has developed a strong stench since the latest algal bloom occurred.

Previous blooms, in April and a few years ago, were not as bad, the residents said.

“I am so upset because such a beautiful lake has a terrible stink,” said The Phong, a tourist from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Many other tourists said they couldn’t sit at the lakeside cafes to take in the view because of the bad odor.

Local residents, who usually walk around the lake for exercise, have been staying away because of the smell.

“I couldn’t go for my morning walks anymore when the pollution got worse about 10 days ago,” said local resident Nguyen Thi Buoi.

A resident said the water that drained from the lake into rivers was foaming as if it contained poisonous chemicals.

Head of the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Preservation of Cultural Heritage Branch, Dinh Ba Quang, confirmed the lake, recognized as a national tourism site in 1988, was seriously polluted.

http://www.thanhniennews.com/education/?catid=4&newsid=42684

*Algae turns area creek into a sea of green*
October 7, 2008
By Kevin Woster

Sheridan Lake algae stains stream, worries homeowners

Spring Creek was typically picturesque Saturday night when Chuck Swenson turned in for the night at his home off Sheridan Lake Road.

But overnight, the creek devolved into a green, mucky mess.

"Saturday night, it was nice and clear," Swenson said Tuesday morning, as he watched fist-sized chunks of creamy foam drift past his front yard on the murky green creek. "I got up Sunday morning, and it was like this."

It was indeed a rude awakening, and a worrisome one as well for Swenson and his neighbors along the creek a few miles below Sheridan Lake. The sudden change in water color and the strange mix of unnatural colors -- from olive green to bright green to an odd bluish tint -- made Swenson wonder if the green stuff was some dangerous type of pollution, maybe a spill of some sort.

He called a number of natural-resource agencies and had a visit later Sunday from Jon Epp of the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Rapid City.

It didn't take long for Epp to identify the pollution source as algae that was almost certainly coming from Sheridan Lake.

"That's much better than if it was a chemical spill or something like that," he said.

Epp thinks a convergence of environmental factors created the unsightly stream flow. They include a heavy bloom of algae on the lake and a process known as lake "turnover." In the fall, surface water cools, becomes denser and sinks toward the bottom, forcing less-dense water up toward the surface. That upward movement also brings vegetation with it.

"There's an algae bloom, and it went over the spillway and down into the creek," Epp said.

There was heavy concentration of algae particles in the water at Sheridan Lake on Tuesday afternoon between the north marina and the spillway. The water was clearer farther west and south.

"The wind will definitely push it to one side or the other," Epp said. "When I was out there, the lake was nice and clear over by the marina and beach, but down by the spillway area and Dakota Point, it was very green."

It's difficult to predict how long Spring Creek will run green, he said. It was still a moving mix of colors, from drab Army tones to a lacquer-like emerald, as it slid past Swenson's house Tuesday. And farther upstream toward the lake, slack-water areas of the creek bed had turned a bizarre shade of blue and were beginning to stink. It's a new and ugly phenomenon for long-time residents of creek-side homes.

"We've been here since 1962, and we've never seen anything like this," David Grow said Tuesday morning as he and his wife, Janice, checked the creek by golf cart. "It's always had little swirls of foam here and there, but never green like this."

The blooms typically aren't considered to be serious health threats, although Swenson said his dog got sick after drinking from the creek. He has been keeping the dog away from the water since then.

Swenson also wonders what the algae flow will do to trout stocked in the creek by the state Game, Fish & Parks Department.

GF&P officials could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Epp took creek samples and expects the test results sometime next week.

Swenson is grateful for Epp's quick response, but he doesn't need tests to know there a problem in Spring Creek.

"If it's not St. Patrick's Day, we're in trouble," Swenson said. "There's something drastically wrong."

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/10/07/news/
top/doc48ebf1c8c9385957799919.txt

*Invasive algae found in Pecos River Canyon*
October 7, 2008
The Associated Press

COWLES, N.M.—The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish says an invasive species of algae has been found in Pecos River Canyon.

The department is urging anglers and others who visit the area to take measures to prevent the spread of Didymosphenia geminata, commonly called "didymo." The algae could present many problems for the Pecos River and other state waters.

The algae is an aquatic nuisance species known to be transferred on boats, fishing equipment and footwear.

Didymo can undergo explosive growth, creating massive blooms in the form of dense mats that can impact native algae and invertebrates—the food base for native and sport fish.

The discovery comes as the department is leading a statewide effort to adopt an aquatic invasive species management plan.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_10661365

*Blue-Green Algae Bloom Confirmed at Desbarats Lake and Bright Lake*
October 6, 2008
News Release for SooNews.ca

Blue-green algae bloom is confirmed at Desbarats Lake and Bright Lake (between Thessalon and Blind River). Samples collected by Algoma Public Health tested positive for the presence of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.

Some forms of blue-green algae produce toxins which can be harmful to your health and the health of animals.

Human health effects from contact with these toxins can include:

• Itchy, irritated eyes and skin
• Flu-like symptoms if the toxins are swallowed
• Liver or nervous system disease

Algoma Public Health recommends that residents:

• NOT drink, swim in, bathe, or shower with the water
• NOT use the water for washing clothes or dishes
• NOT eat fish caught during a blue-green algae bloom
• Avoid activities that involve direct contact with the water such as swimming and water skiing
• Use alternative water sources including bottled, carted or tanked water

The length of persistence of the toxin is not known.

http://www.soonews.ca/viewarticle.php?id=19278

*No oxygen equals major Bouchie Lake fish kill*
October 3, 2008
By Andrea Johnson

Thousands of rainbow trout suffocate in anoxic water in two days

Martin Eastman slowly guides his boat along the west side of Bouchie Lake towards Purcer Creek.

In the distance his two passengers are looking for fins of rainbow trout above the shallow water as they try to swim upstream.

As we move closer on a sunny fall Monday afternoon, some are jumping above the water gasping for air.

They want to breathe, but they can’t.

They’re suffocating.

There’s no oxygen.

As we get closer, the trout, some as big as five pounds, others as small as fry are floating on top of the water. Others have sunk to the bottom of the clear lake.

They’re dead.

Eastman and his wife Anna have never seen anything like it in 18 years living along the eastern shores of Bouchie Lake.

It’s never been this bad.

Martin is chair of Bouchie Lake Stewardship committee, a pro-active volunteer group that monitors the levels of the lake and keeps its eyes peeled for any problems that may arise. They’re also a liaison with the provincial Ministry of Environment.

Martin and Anna first noticed the fish kill Sunday when they received a call from a neighbour who lives along the lake.

A call to the local conservation officer led to his inspection at the public access boat launch who then called MOE.

Martin said at first it looked like only 50 fish were affected by the kill, but after a closer look around the lake, there were 2,000.

Chris Swan, an impact assessment biologist from MOE, Environmental Protection based in Williams Lake, checked it out Monday morning.

She chalks up the major kill to a combination of events.

Based on weekly readings of temperature and dissolved oxygen gathered by Bouchie Lake Stewardship group, Swan can tell that Bouchie Lake recently had a big algae bloom which died off.

The lake is also 12 C from top to bottom which means it’s turning over.

These two events resulted in the combination depletion of almost all of the dissolved oxygen in the lake. Dissolved oxygen values were around 1 milligram per litre – rainbow trout become stressed below 4-6 mg per litre of dissolved oxygen.

“The inlet creeks [such as Purcer Creek] would still be bringing in some fresh dissolved oxygen which is why the fish were schooling at the mouths of the inlet creeks,” Swan said.

Near the public boat launch on Bouchie Lake’s west side, more fish are jumping, gasping for their last breath.

They’ll sink to the bottom, decay and expand then rise to the surface.

The stewardship group measures oxygen, temperature and clarity levels once a week. Outflow and inflow levels of the creeks are measured twice each week.

“There’s not too much change between now and last week,” Martin said.

“But in spring it was .5 per metre [high] and in fall it was .32 per metre. It’s down quite a bit. We have a weir on the lake to keep it a certain point.”

In 2000, a sediment core was taken from the bottom of Bouchie Lake. The core contained a record of the past 500 years of sediment deposition on its bottom. The types of bottom-dwelling insects in the core told biologists that for 450 years, Bouchie Lake was a well-oxygenated lake.

“In 1950, things began to change to a less-oxygenated bottom,” Swan said.

“By the 1970s, a dramatic shift towards anoxic (no dissolved oxygen) bottom waters had taken place. This timing corresponds to increased human activity in the watershed.”

The anoxic water, Swan said, is blamed on increased nutrients in the form of nitrogen and phosphorus, the main components of fertilizer.

That occurs as a result of decay of plants, both aquatic and algae, which have blossomed from increased nutrients.

“In most of the lakes in our region, phosphorus is the limiting factor – when all the phosphorus is taken up by the plants, they won’t continue to grow even if there is still nitrogen present,” Swan said.

Phosphorus is found naturally in soils, plants and plant eaters as well as in man-made concentrated forms such as fertilizer and soaps. In Bouchie Lake, the watershed and internal loading contribute to increased phosphorus.

Swan said for the watershed draining into the lake, contributing factors can include exposed soils (roads, ditches and trampled banks) draining into the two inlet creeks and the lake; poor riparian conditions, manure runoff, fertilizer use, septic systems and burning of wood.

Internal loading is a process where the lake is fertilized from within.

When phosphorus is washed down into the lake and dissolved oxygen is present, it settles to the bottom and is bound to the sediment. As aquatic plants and algae die off, fall to the bottom and begin to rot, the oxygen is used up. When there is no oxygen the phosphorus is released from the sediment back into the lower water. In shallow lakes this phosphorus-loaded bottom water is mixed into the water column when the lake turns over. It happens to Bouchie Lake in spring, late summer and fall.

“All lakes are different,” Swan said.

“Even the same lake is different from year to year. This fall had the perfect combination of weather and nutrients for a fish kill.

“Further fish kills cannot be predicted with certainty but Bouchie Lake is at risk for this happening again.”

Bouchie Lake Stewardship committee tries to inform people the best practices to preserve the 9-metre deep, 129-ha wide lake and the watershed surrounding it.

That may mean asking residents to aerate lawns instead of fertilizing them and using one of two kinds of dishwashing soap that is phosphate-free.

Swan said to lower the risk of another fish kill, serious work must be done to improve the watershed and clean up the nutrient loading running into the lake.

“Otherwise, any in-lake restoration will be long term and more expensive.

“Putting a Band-Aid on the visual problem doesn’t take care of the underlying cause.

“Everyone in the watershed must play a role in reducing phosphorus loading if there is any hope of reducing the risk of further fish kills and continued algae blooms on Bouchie Lake.”

The only potential option for Bouchie Lake, she said, is aeration.

However, she warned it’s only a potential option because details such as equipment purchase, installation, operation costs and liability/insurance and affects on the ecosystem still need to be explored.

“The lake may have clearer water but it could be a trade-off between less algae blooms but considerably more aquatic plants,” she said.

“If there was no money to run the aerators then the same problems would return.”

As for dredging the bottom of the lake, it is very site specific and costly.

Dredging lakes such as Bouchie Lake where the bottom water smells like sulfur or rotten eggs is not favourable, Swan said.

“When the sulfur-smelling sediment mixes with rain water and air, sulfuric acid is produced. These piles have toxic run-off which must be contained and treated.

“[Again], if watershed clean up isn’t done, then the in-lake problems would come back over time.”

Department of Fisheries and Oceans will do further investigative work in October to determine if all species of fish were affected and to what extent.

As for Martin and Anna Eastman, they’ll continue to enjoy the lake.

Only in the last couple of years has the lake become popular with anglers and is regularly stocked with trout.

It’s also become a haven for bird watchers who enjoy watching American white pelicans and blue herons amongst the freshwater otters.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/30341854.html

*Officials warn of toxic algae at Wickiup Reservoir*
October 2, 2008
By Kelsey Watts

For the second time in just a few weeks, health officials warned Thursday of toxic blue-green algae at Wickiup Reservoir.

The toxic algae has always been around, but it's been getting more attention in recent years, because of Forest Service funding that allows these algaes to be monitored at some local waterways.

If you get enough exposure to these toxins, they're dangerous - even deadly.

On Sept. 11, the state Department of Human Services issued a health advisory for a type of toxic algae called gleotricia. Levels went down, and it was lifted two weeks later, on Sept. 25.

Now, just a week after that advisory was lifted, two new kinds of toxic blue-green algae have been found at Wickiup Reservoir: anabaena and microsystis.

Anabaena is a neurotoxin, and officials say acute exposure can lead to nerve damage, and symptoms can include blurred vision and numbness. Microsystis is a liver toxin, and with enough exposure, can cause liver hemorrhaging. Systems in this cause could include abdominal pain or loss of appetite. In both cases, enough exposure would be deadly.

Anytime toxigenic cells reach 100,000 cells per milliliter of water, an advisory goes out. In this case, the Forest Service found roughly three times that level for each algae: 318,353 parts per milliliter for anabaena, and 281,543 for microsystis.

"So combined, it creates a condition that we would have some concern that toxins could be being released into the lake," said Dan Peddycord, the public health director at the Deschutes County Health Department.

Exposing your skin to toxins can be dangerous over time, but ingesting or drinking contaminated water can kill you.

"If it is the neurotoxin, symptoms would come on in well under an hour, probably more like 30 to 40 minutes," Peddycord explained. "You'll begin to have difficulty breathing, you may feel some numbness and tingling, because it's essentially starting to paralyze your nervous system."

At Twin Lakes Resort, owners say they've gotten several calls about the health advisory, and it's affecting their business.

But Kelly Crow is camping at Wickiup; he knew about the toxic algae before making the trip from Salem, and he's not worried.

"Yeah, I've heard about it lots of times being toxic, but I've read what they say about not drinking the water and avoiding skin contact," said Crow. "So it's pretty much common sense."

While extremely high levels of anabaena and microsystis have been found in Wickiup Reservoir, experts say it's hard to know for sure if the blooms are actually producing dangerous toxins in the water. That's because testing toxic water samples is time-consuming and expensive. Experts say it's safest to simply advise the public of the potential health hazard.

In Oregon, some dogs and longhorn sheep have died from swallowing toxic water, but so far, no humans have reported getting sick.

The Department of Human Services says this is a little late in the year to find such high levels of toxic algae, and one theory behind it is global warming.

Once levels go below 100,000 cells per milliliter, health officials say they wait a week or two before lifting any health advisories.

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=9116468