Toxic Algae is choking Grand Lake St. Mary’s, Ohio .  A local Water Quality Group, Saving Grace, stated that some residents who came in contact with the water experienced blurred vision, numbness and weakness, dizziness, headache and several dogs have died in the lake. http://savinggrandlake.com/ 

“Water tests detected a liver toxin called microcystin that went away within a few days, said Tina Badurina, a spokeswoman for the YMCA of Central Ohio” reported the Port Clinton News Herald. http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/20100730/UPDATES01/100730001/Toxic-algae-blobs-bloom-on-more-Ohio-ponds-lakes

Harmful algae like the toxic algae found in the St. Mary's Lakes in Ohio have not been reported in the Swift Creek Reservoir.  The Swift Creek Reservoir does have the Blue-Green Algae Anabaena  which can cause a septic odor like the algae bloom in the 1980's that had everyone buying bottled water.  This is usually treated anywhere from zero to a couple of times a year in parts of the Swift Creek Reservoir with Copper Sulfate.

Copper Sulfate is not toxic to humans but can be toxic to fish and other aquatic wildlife.  In Minnesota certain types of Blue-Green Algae became resistant to Copper Sulfate after 26 years of use.   http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/coppersu.htm

The Environmental Protection Agency informs that  “Excess nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen from watershed sources are major contributing factors to Harmful Algae Blooms.”

http://www.epa.ohio.gov/pic/glsm_algae.aspx

 The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality recommends that a reservoir be kept at or below a threshold of 0.4 mg of phosphorous per liter to be acceptable as a drinking water reservoir.  

The Swift Creek Reservoir was at or under half that level from 1992 through 1996. Since 1997 the reservoir has been at or above 0.3 mg phosphorous per liter for over half of the years though 1999 Two years were at 0.34 mg/L and 0.35 mg/L just 0.5 mg/L and 0.6 mg/L under the maximum threshold.  

       Chart from 2009 Swift Creek Reservoir and Watershed Report

By David L. Faulkner; Woodlake Resident, Natural Resource Economist with the USDA/NRCS, and WCA Environmental Committee MemberNovember, 2009  Hydrilla is a non-native, invasive submerged aquatic plant that poses a serious threat to water environments such as Swift Creek Reservoir.  The plant is native to Africa and was introduced to the USA via imports to Florida for aquarium owners. Presumably some got thrown out into local waterways and spread from there.  It is now well established in the United States, especially the south where millions are spent every year in management and control efforts.  Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) indicates that hydrilla is increasingly found in Virginia’s waterways and water bodies and currently is resident from the Potomac River in the north to Lake Gaston on the North Carolina border. Hydrilla stems can grow up to 25-30ft. long and it has several advantages over native species of aquatic plants.  It can thrive with less light than native species of water plants, is more efficient in taking up nutrients and can crowd-out the natives due to rapid growth.  It also can reproduce through numerous means, especially through simple vegetative reproduction which means small pieces stuck on the underside of boats and on boat trailers can easily be transported to new waterways and water bodies where it can start growing anew.

It grows into dense mats that interfere with water-based recreation activities such as boating, swimming and fishing.  It also alters fish and wildlife habitat so that some species can no longer survive as well and favors other species including many invertebrates and mosquitoes.  It also provides great nursery habitat for small fish.  It can limit boat movement, clog propellers and rudders, shade out native plants and thereby reduce biodiversity, reduce oxygen levels in the water and degrade water quality by making the bottom stratum of the water column somewhat lifeless.  It also thrives in a wide range of water depth, flow, temperature and water quality conditions…an ideal invasive mess.   

There are numerous management practices for managing hydrilla ranging from chemical herbicides (some effective and some not so effective) to manual removal (a stop-gap measure as it simply grows back) to biological control through introduction of triploid sterile grass carp (a non-native fish species) that feed upon the vegetation (requires a permit from DGIF, and they can be very effective, but their populations have to be managed also).  Each control method has advantages and disadvantages and are effective to one degree or another, but the bad news is that they all require human resources (knowledge, muscle and active management) which in turn requires financial resources.  

What we can do: Hydrilla is in Swift Creek Reservoir (mainly on the Brandermill side) and will now likely be spread to all areas of the lake by the movement of boats.  We really can’t do anything about that.  However, we can help to limit the spread of hydrilla to other streams and lakes by having all boaters examine and clean the underneath sides of their vehicles, boats and trailers when leaving the lake to make sure that hydrilla fragments are removed.

 The WCA Board of Directors and Community Manager Julie Walker spoke at length to county officials about the need for immediate action in this matter when they met with them last month.  The county has contracted with a consultant for a study and action plan.  The BOD will continue to monitor and press for swift action on this issue. Stay tuned for more information about how you can help!