The following article originally appeared in the Kenora Miner
& News. It is reproduced here with the permission of
the Kenora Miner & News.
Kenora Miner & News
Sept. 28, 2001
Elsie Neufeld
Algae can't be ignored any longer
Editor's Note: This is the final installment of four-part
series on water quality questions and testing which has been
published in the Daily Miner and News.
By Elsie Neufeld
Miner and News Staff
One summer day, Hedy Kling was laying on her
brother-in-law's dock looking at the water. She was looking at
algae and what she saw made her scoop up a sample.
Back in Winnipeg, Kling confirmed what she suspected. The
blue-green algae was producing a toxin - one that had killed
four dogs in Dauphin Lake. To Kling, an algal taxonomist, this
meant there should be more studies done. However, none were
interested, but then she and the Lake of the Woods District
Property Owners Association found they had a mutual concern.
Gerry Wilson, executive director of the association, was
worried about the number of large blooms appearing on Lake of
the Woods and wanted someone to look into what was going on.
The two, the association and Kling, owner of Algal Taxonomy
and Ecology Inc. in Winnipeg, joined forces about three years
ago to start looking at the blue-green algae being produced on
the lake.
Volunteers with the association and Kling's assistant,
Claire Herbert, started to sample the lake. Some samples were
cause for concern. Kling's sister brought in a sample that
revealed a surprising level of toxins, and Gerry Wilson's
sample was not good.
"That sample that Gerry (Wilson) brought in would be
toxic to somebody if they drank it," said Kling.
Kling had reported these results to government agencies,
but none took interest until this year, when the evidence
caught their attention. In the spring, Herbert, an aquatic
environmental scientist, attended the ManOMin Watershed
Conference. Herbert's presentation made all in attendance want
more information to understand what the blue-green algae
meant. That was a turning point for algae sampling on Lake of
the Woods.
"Now it has turned into a whole bunch of government
organizations working together," said Kling. Now the
Ontario Ministry of Environment, Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have
started to look at algae on Lake of the Woods. The Department
of Fisheries and Oceans is interested in Lake of the Woods
because some species of blue-green algae have appeared on Lake
Winnipeg - something that could only have come from Lake of
the Woods.
One advantage of having governmental organizations involved
in sampling the lake is that now the whole lake can be
sampled. With only one scientist and a handful of volunteers
doing the sampling only a few areas were being studied. The
sampling will reveal what species of algae are in the lake and
where.
"Once you see the species then you can use it as a
tool," said Kling. "If you want to manage a body of
water, it's important to understand what is in it."
Can the occurrence of blue-green algae be a natural
phenomenon?
"I don't think this is a natural phenomenon,"
states Kling. At other points of history, such as during the
drought of the 1930s, which would have increased the nutrients
in the lake, elements have not produced this level of blue
green algae.
"There have always been incidents of blue-green algae,
but the incidents of blooms in Lake Winnipeg is higher than it
used to be."
Blue-green algae has increased dramatically over the past
30 years. Indications are that the same thing is happening on
Lake of the Woods. Unfortunately, no core samples have been
done on Lake of the Woods to demonstrate at what rate the
increase has been.
Another sure indicator that the problem is manmade rather
than a natural occurrence is the appearance of exotic species.
"The change of the species is an indication of human
interference."
What kind of interference is causing this?
"The thing is that a lot of this problem is that
people haven't been careful of the deposit of their
sewage," said Kling. "I know of places where the
sewage barge had never been in," she said.
Another cause may be that Lake of the Woods is being used
as a reservoir. "Making a lake into a reservoir holds
back nutrients that would otherwise be flushed out."
With more agencies helping collect information, more
effective information is being collected.
"This year's studies will help us to know what is
going on," Kling said. Studies are great but Kling knows
that those living and working on the lake are not paying
attention to what they are doing to the lake.
Everyone has to ask the question: "How green do you
want your lake?"
She also points out that samples from the south half of the
lake where the agriculture has been blamed for
nutrient-loading, is not as bad as expected.
"You can't blame the agriculture at the other end of
the lake causing the blue-greens," said Kling.
"It's up to the
cottage owners and everyone who lives on the lake to do the
right thing."
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