Harmful algae bloom reaches eastern Lake Erie

... According to Susan Bell, a storm water sanitarian with the Lake County Health District, harmful algae bloom, previously limited to the western end of Lake Erie, has moved eastward this year. She points out that there have been no beach closings in Lake County, however. The microcystin toxin has been detected, but at concentration levels below the threshold that would endanger health. (Those levels are set by the Ohio Department of Health.)

Examiner.com - www.examiner.com

17 Jul 2012

S Woodthorpe

Location: Lake Erie, Ohio, USA

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2 sturgeon found washed ashore off Lake Huron

At least two lake sturgeon, which are designated as a threatened species in Michigan, recently have been found washed ashore along Lake Huron.

Lynn Whittenburg, of Lakeport, told The Times Herald in Port Huron for a Saturday story that she found a 3-foot-long sturgeon this week on a beach. A 4-foot-long sturgeon also washed ashore in Fort Gratiot, northeast of Detroit.

"Three at one time isn't something that I get really concerned about, but it does have me kind of watching what's going on," Thomas said. "There have been instances in the past where lake sturgeon have turned up in higher numbers than that, and it has been linked to botulism."

If a dozen or so of the large fish begin to turn up over the next week or so, Thomas said he would start an investigation.

Petoskey News - www.petoskeynews.com

15 Jul 2012

Location: Fort Gratiot - Map It ; Lake Huron - Map It , Michigan, USA

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$3M allocated by Ohio to fight lake's algae blooms

Up to $3 million in state funding has been allocated to combat harmful algae infestation in Lake Erie, with several hundred thousand dollars committed to starting a program this month to help farmers reduce hazardous runoff during rainstorms, officials said Tuesday.

About $200,000 of the Healthy Lake Erie Fund has been appropriated for a program of soil testing, nutrient monitoring, application certification, and installation of controlled drainage devices on Ohio farmland that will help curb phosphorous runoff into lakes and tributaries, said Karl Gebhardt, deputy director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The money was put forward to match a $900,000 federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Lake Erie Restoration Initiative Fund for which state officials have applied.

ToledoBlade.com - www.toledoblade.com

11 Jul 2012

R Redfern

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Event Highlights Lake Erie’s First Seasonal Algae Forecast

On July 5, NOAA and partners officially announced the seasonal harmful algal bloom (HAB) forecast for Lake Erie, the first in the Great Lakes region, during an event hosted by Ohio State University Sea Grant’s Stone Laboratory. Following on the heels of the worst HAB season in decades, NOAA predicts the 2012 season will be a mild one, a welcome change for residents and managers who have seen increased HABs in the region since 2008.

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The Beach Manager’s Manual Harmful Algal Blooms

Harmful algal blooms, commonly referred to as HABs, are an environmentally complex problem throughout the world. HABs can cause fish kills, foul up nearby coastlines and produce conditions that pose health risks to aquatic life, as well as humans.

In a joint effort, Michigan Sea Grant and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant authored the publication, The Beach Manager’s Manual: Harmful Algal Blooms. This eight-page manual provides useful information to help beach managers and other community members prevent HABs and keep their beaches safe so that these recreational areas can be enjoyed by all.

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Monitoring Begins on the Beaches of Lake Superior

Monitoring of Lake Superior beaches will begin after Memorial Day. The Minnesota Department of Health will be monitoring the water quality along the Lake Superior shoreline from Duluth to Grand Marais, which includes 39 public beaches.

Staff will be checking the water to detect the presence of E.coli bacteria or other harmful pathogens or contamination. The samples will be analyzed once a week from the beaches, while samples from the most heavily used beaches will be analyzed twice weekly.

The results will be posted immediately to the telephone hotline and beach website at www.MNBeaches.org.

Northland's News Center - www.northlandsnewscenter.com 

21 May 2012

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Harmful algal blooms can cause rash, illness

It's a green, blue, brown or black slime that tends to foam and sometimes gives off a foul smell. And it could make you sick.

It's blue-green algae, and it's been a growing problem on Lake Erie in recent years. Last year it spread to the largest-reaching plume on record, and weather conditions could make this year equally bad or worse, said Doug Kane, assistant professor of science and math at Defiance College.

The News-Messenger.com - www.thenews-messenger.com

02 Apr 2012

K Smith Horn

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Will plague of toxic algae accelerate a focus on Lake Erie?

Western Lake Erie is on fire -- metaphorically speaking.

At a recent University of Toledo College of Law workshop, speakers implored Michigan and Ohio residents to see the emerging parallels between western Lake Erie's record algae outbreaks in 2010 and 2011 and Cleveland's 1969 Cuyahoga River fire.

Their point: Sometimes it takes a major embarrassment to galvanize a region.

Public outrage over algae is finally getting through to the right people, but meaningful action has been a long time coming. The degree of commitment has yet to be seen, especially as the two states attempt to promote a more business-friendly atmosphere.

Western Lake Erie needs to become a stronger focal point for fertilizer runoff control, just as Cleveland was the focal point for better sewage treatment after the Cuyahoga caught fire. Cleveland lived with the embarrassment of being called the "mistake on the lake" for years.

Toledo Blade - www.toledoblade.com

03 Apr 2012

T Henry

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