#toxic algae

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

At the heart of the vast watershed that forms Florida’s fragile Everglades is Lake Okeechobee. A century ago the water of the state’s largest lake spilled effortlessly beyond its southern shore, flowing eventually into the sawgrass prairies of the river of grass.

Today the natural course of the water has been altered forever by some of the most complex water management infrastructure in the world. This infrastructure has drained the river of grass to a fraction of its former size and made modern Florida possible. A $21 billion federal and state restoration effort underway in the Everglades is among the most ambitious of its kind in human history.

A new plan for managing Lake Okeechobee is aimed at recapturing some of this drained water and restoring a more natural flow throughout the watershed, two objectives that, if achieved, could help alleviate yet another prominent environmental problem facing the state: toxic algae.

The Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), implemented earlier this month, represents a significant shift in the lake’s management. Coming after a recent restoration of the 143-mile earthen dike encircling the lake, the plan is designed to more equitably balance the needs of the watershed and stakeholders tied to it, rather than prioritizing flood control above all else, said Tim Gysan, LOSOM project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“At some point most Floridians are touched by water that moves through Lake Okeechobee,” he said. “The management of Lake Okeechobee is very important.”

The 730-square-mile lake is situated near the center of the watershed that encompasses much of the peninsula, beginning in central Florida at the headwaters of the meandering Kissimmee River. The watershed also includes the sawgrass marshes south of the lake and Florida Bay, at the peninsula’s southernmost tip. Today some 2,200 miles of canals, 2,100 miles of levees and berms, 84 pump stations and 778 water control structures sustain the river of grass, which is responsible for the drinking water of some 9 million Floridians.

Notably, the new lake plan likely will bring some relief from the toxic algae that has gripped the peninsula during the past several years by addressing one of the biggest problems hindering the natural course of water in the Everglades: releases from Lake Okeechobee in an unnatural pattern east and west rather than south, as the water once flowed.

The noxious blooms have choked rivers, sullied beaches, sickened Floridians and left wildlife belly-up. The discharges were necessary during times of high water to protect the aging dike surrounding the lake, but the releases threaten the delicate estuaries on either side of the lake and, during the summer months, can spread toxic algae. Because the algae thrive in warm temperatures, the problem is poised to get worse as the global climate warms.

Warm summer temperatures often lead to dangerous blooms of phytoplankton in lakes, reservoirs and along our coastlines. These toxin-containing aquatic organisms can sicken people and pets, contaminate drinking water, and force closures at boating and swimming sites.

In this image, a severe bloom of toxic blue-green algae is spreading across the western half of Lake Erie. Taken on July 30, 2019 by the Operational Land Imager on our Landsat 8 satellite, this image shows green patches where the bloom was most dense and where toxicity levels were unsafe for recreational activities. Around the time of this image, the bloom covered about 300 square miles of Lake Erie’s surface, roughly the size of New York City. By August 13, the bloom had doubled to more than 620 square miles. That’s eight times the size of Cleveland. 

The dominant organism—a Microcystis cyanobacteria—produces the toxin microcystin, can cause liver damage, numbness, dizziness, and vomiting. On July 29, 2019, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported unsafe toxin concentrations in Lake Erie and have since advised people (and their pets) to stay away from areas where scum is forming on the water surface.

You can stay informed about harmful algal blooms using a new mobile app that will send you alerts on potentially harmful algal blooms in your area. Called CyAN, it's based on NASA satellite data of the color changes in lakes and other bodies of water. It serves as our eye-in-the-sky early warning system, alerting the public and local officials to when dangerous waters may be in bloom.

Algal blooms. Local sources estimate that 70% of elephants in Okavango in Botswana died near waterholes, many of which contained blue-green algal blooms. Toxins from algae were initially ruled out as a potential cause because elephants were the only species to die (with the exception of one horse).

Excerpt from this story from the Associated Press (AP):

Sea lions are stranding themselves on a long stretch of the California coast and showing signs that they may have been poisoned by a bloom of harmful algae, experts said Thursday.

The Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute said that since July 26, it has been inundated by daily reports of sick sea lions along 155 miles (249 kilometers) of shoreline in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, northwest of Los Angeles.

The marine mammals are suffering from domoic acid, a neurotoxin that affects the brain and heart, the institute said in a statement. The poisoning event is largely affecting adult female California sea lions, it said.

The nonprofit said it had rescued 23 animals so far. Coastal Vandenberg Space Force Base released photos of sea lions being rescued from one of its beaches on July 29.

The California coast commonly sees outbreaks of domoic acid poisoning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NOAA Fisheries.

An outbreak last year was particularly severe, with hundreds sea lions and dozens of dolphins dying in the first weeks of June.

The poison is produced by microscopic algae that are consumed by shellfish and small fish that are then eaten by sea lions, dolphins and birds. Symptoms in affected sea lions may include disorientation, head weaving, foaming at the mouth and seizures.

Trailer:

Excerpt from this story from EcoWatch:

n 2014, the city of Toledo, Ohio had to go without drinking water for three days. The culprit? The toxic algae that turns Lake Erie green in the summers had contaminated a water plant.

Now, a new film considers the problem of toxic algae on Lake Erie and what is, and isn’t, being done about it. Today, the producers of The Erie Situation announced that the film is premiering at the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) April 3.

In Lake Erie, the main cause of the toxic algae is agricultural runoff from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, otherwise known as factory farms. While some farmers are making an effort to adapt more environmentally friendly practices, many operations are continuing with business as usual and avoiding regulations.

The film follows people like Ken Sabin, a Point Place, Ohio boat builder who had to stop spending so much time on the lake when he developed respiratory issues, he believes from the algae.

“As somebody who grew up on the Great Lakes, I knew I had to make this film,” Ruck said in a statement in 2021. “The health of these ecosystems and of those that inhabit them is an important and compelling story to tell. It’s a story of big interests being allowed to go unchecked with practices that are harming many of us. My hope is that our film makes a difference by helping audiences to better understand these complex issues that very directly impact them and their communities.”