The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Moderate Harmful Algal Bloom projected
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its partnering organizations are forecasting a less severe Harmful Algal Blooms season on Lake Erie compared to last year.
Officials are projecting the bloom will measure a 4.5 on the severity index, but could range between 4 and 5.5.
That’s compared to a bloom that measured a 7.3 on the severity index in 2019.
The severity index of 2018’s bloom measured a 3.8. This year’s bloom is estimated to be one of the smaller blooms since 2011. An index above 5 indicates the more severe blooms, according to NOAA officials.
In recent times,
Lake Erie has typically seen less severe bloom seasons in even years and more severe seasons in odd years, but NOAA oceanographer Rick Stumpf said that is coincidental. Stumpf was among the presenters during a July 9 web broadcast unveiling the 2020
Lake Erie Harmful
Algal Blooms forecast.
Lake Erie blooms consist of cyanobacteria, also known a blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria is capable of producing the liver toxin microcystin which poses a risk to human and wildlife health, according to NOAA.
These blooms can result in higher costs for cities and local governments that need to drinking water, prevent people from enjoying fishing, swimming, boating and visiting the shoreline. The blooms can harm the region’s summer economy.
According to NOAA, the effects vary in location and severity to winds that may concentrate or dissipate the bloom.
— U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo “While I’m thankful that this year’s bloom will be less severe than in years past, we cannot be idle. That’s why in Congress, I’m fighting to secure significantly more funding for the invaluable Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.”
The severity index is based on the bloom’s biomass (amount of algae) over a sustained period. The largest blooms occurred in 2011, which was a 10 on the severity index, and 2015, which was a 10.5.
NOAA, the Environmental Protection Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada and its other partners have set a goal of 3, which was last seen in 2012.
“While we are definitely better than last year, we are forecasting that we will be above the target,” Stumpf said. “That means we will see some noticeable bloom out on Lake Erie this year.”
Stumpf said that the mild rainfall this spring compared to last year will lead to a “much smaller bloom.”
NOAA officials stated that the size of the bloom isn’t necessarily an indication of how toxic it is.
For example, the toxins in a large bloom may not be as concentrated as in a smaller bloom. Each algal bloom is unique in terms of size, toxicity, and ultimately its impact on local communities, NOAA stated. The agency is developing tools to detect and predict how toxic blooms will be.
Stumpf said “much of the lake will be fine most of the time” this year.
“The blooms are mostly in the western basin, but even there they loop around a lot with the wind,” he said.
There is a “strong risk of scum,” however, when winds are calm in areas with high concentrations of algae. Stumpf said “keep kids, pets and yourself out of scums.”
In 2019 and 2020, Lake Erie has set several monthly lake level records and is well above its long-term average. Stumpf said they get asked a lot if the lake levels are a factor in the bloom. He said that based on last year, they don’t have any evidence that it is a factor.
“We will be keeping track of that as well, but right now we don’t see that as an indication,” he said.
With cool lake temperatures in May and early June, the cyanobacteria only started growing in the last week, NOAA stated July 9. The agency expects a more typical start of the visible bloom in mid-to-late July. Duration of the bloom depends on how windy September may be, which NOAA stated cannot be predicted this far in advance.
The bloom will remain mostly in some areas of the western basin and most of the rest of the lake will not be affected.
Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant,which hosted the web presentation, stated Harmful Algal Blooms are fueled by excess phosphorus and nitrogen, two nutrients found in fertilizers and sewage treatment plant discharge, for example. Excessive amounts of nutrients in the water that runs from rivers into Lake Erie lead to excessive algal growth.
About 325 tons of total bioavailable phosphorus are projected to flow into the lake’s western and central basins this year. Stumpf said a 30 percent reduction would be needed to reach the goal of 3 on the severity index.
“A smaller bloom forecast for Lake Erie and the surrounding coastal communities is encouraging, but we cannot be complacent,” Nicole LeBoeuf, NOAA’s acting director off National Ocean Service, said in a statement. “It is our hope that these science-based tools will help local leaders plan for the predicted bloom and best position the community and its visitors to deal with what comes.”
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, said that Harmful Algal Blooms have plagued the waters of western Lake Erie and its tributaries for the past decade and are a “painful reminder that more has to be done at the federal, state, and local level to protect and restore our beloved Lake Erie.”
“While I’m thankful that this year’s bloom will be less severe than in years past, we cannot be idle,” she said. “That’s why in Congress, I’m fighting to secure significantly more funding for the invaluable Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.”
Kaptur serves as a cochair of the House of Representatives’ Great Lakes Task Force. U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, also serves as a co-chair. Another co-chair, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, said they are hoping to increase the funding for the restoration initiative to $335 million for Fiscal Year 2021.
The initiative gives federal funds to the eight-state Great Lakes region for projects that have removed toxic wastes from industrial harbors, fought invasive species such as Asian carp, restored wildlife habitat and supported efforts to prevent harmful algal blooms.
“We must prioritize a strong and coordinated federal response and robust funding for all the work related to harmful algal blooms,” Dingell said.
Another push for restoration funding
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is pushing U.S. and Canadian officials to provide funding for water restoration priorities in any upcoming economic stimulus programs related to the novel coronavirus.
The organization is a coalition of roughly 100 U.S. and Canadian mayors and local officials “working to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
River.”
In a July 7 news release, the organization stated that nearly one-third of U.S. and Canadian economic activity is centered in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region, “so post COVID-19 economic recovery there will fuel the larger national recovery in the U.S. and Canada.”
“In addition to economic stimulus, funding will help
safeguard coastal resources and mitigate future damage from erosion, flooding and severe storm events; modernize outdated wastewater infrastructure and prevent exposure to toxic pollutants in drinking water; reduce agricultural and urban runoff that feeds harmful algal blooms; and prevent beaches from being contaminated by sewage