Diagnosis and treatment offered for Lake Eugenia blue-green algae

The Friends of Lake Eugenia group told council that putting alum into the lake could have “spectacular” effects.

The not-for-profit is concerned with water quality – especially with toxic blue-green algae blooms that have closed the beach in past summers.

The “Friends” group has done research and funded studies. A baseline study pinpointed a rise in temperature and phosphorous present in the lake related to sediment at the dam.

The release of phosphorous due to the shorter ice season and warmer temperatures is related to the algae, a consultant hired by the group found.

Council received the report but took no immediate action.

In her presentation, co-founder Morgan Anderson said there are two parts of remediation.

First, preventing future phosphorous loading. Methods include septic inspection, limiting direct drainage into the lake and controlling drainage from lots and vacant lands.

Second is action on present water quality – applying alum to bind the phosphorous in the sediment. This was described as a non-toxic proven approach giving immediate results.

The “Friends” group is speaking with a staff member of the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.

The group has raised $80,000 to fund the research. Scientists were out working on the lake the weekend before the presentation, he said, and it does look like the blue-green algae is migrating out of the deepest part and moving out into other parts of the water.

The scientists predicted a major algae bloom in the next two weeks because it is already forming, the Friends other co-founder, Doug Hill, said.

“The next step is, we want to go to OPG. because we now have information we want to share with them,” he said. OPG owns the lake bed.

“This is not bad news,” he said, “this is very, very good news… we know what we can do to make this lake very, very nice and very pleasant. And we’ve done it with our own research and our own funding.”

Coun. Tom Allwood asked about the regulatory issues of applying alum. The answer was that it is being used in Pigeon Lake in Alberta, and in the United States.

OPG owns the lake bed and must be consulted. “Nobody really owns water quality in the whole government structure,” he said. The MNR responds to spills.

If the alum is not buffered, there can be fish kills, but when done properly, the results are “spectacular”, he said.

References to this approach can be found in a North American Lake Management Society publication. While noting that alum treats the effect not the cause, the report endorses controlled use of alum, along with taking a watershed approach.

After application, a solid precipitate called floc is formed, which absorbs phosphates that feed the algae bloom. It has no direct toxic effect on algae.

STORM WATER

Mr. Hill also relayed that a Conservation Authority staff member had told him that it’s his belief rain events are also implicated in the algae blooms.

The group would also like to see the water entry of the culvert at Plantt’s Point raised. The drainage culvert goes directly into the lake.

The culvert enters very close to the water’s edge, Mr. Hill said, which means a holding area is not possible. There is room to make changes near the water to allow settling and purification of water before it enters the lake.

“The fix is relatively simple,” he said, and could be done by municipal staff.

The culvert could still protect the road from flooding, and with changes it could also allow the water to enter less directly.

MUNICIPAL HELP ASKED

Morgan Anderson presented four ways that council could help:

-implement septic regulations;

-control direct input of nutrients in road culverts;

-consider a policy on fertilizer use and regulations around the lake; and

-include Friends of Lake Eugenia in the newly-formed lake management task force.

The group wants to collaborate on improving water quality. Mr. Hill said that they were also working with Lake Eugenia Property Owners Association.

He also spoke about some approaches taken in other lakes or rivers. Dredging is a huge problem, he said, as it destroys fish habitat. Oxygenation, used at Chesley, is good for fish habitat, but he said that it would churn up the sediment, meaning phosphorous release.

The group has also had measurements of both the “inputs” and “outputs” of Lake Eugenia. He acknowledged that there are some problems with the incoming flow. There is a much worse quality coming out than going in, he said.

M.T. Fernandes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Flesherton Advance