Researchers detect blue-green algae toxin in Lake Erie earlier than ever before
Researchers at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab say they have detected a harmful toxin produced by blue-green algae earlier in the year than ever before in Lake Erie.
Water tests taken on April 28 showed levels of 0.12 parts per billion of microcystin.
But Reagan Errera, a NOAA research ecologist, suggested the finding isn't a cause for immediate alarm.
"It's almost like the pre-hurricane season warnings that we do," Errera said.
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"It's 'Hey, hurricane season hasn't started yet, but you should start to prepare. Get your lights. Get your water.' … This is the same kind of thing. We want to let people know, 'Hey, we're starting to get hits. We want you to know so that you can prepare for the summer upcoming.'"
Microcystins can produce allergic reactions such as skin rashes, eye irritations, respiratory symptoms and in some cases gastroenteritis, liver and kidney failure or death, according to information on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.
Toxin levels very low
They can also kill livestock and pets that drink affected waters.
But the toxin levels detected by NOAA are not high enough to trigger water treatment measures at nearby drinking water facilities or warnings against swimming or taking pets into an area of the lake, the administration said in a news release.
Errera advised people to simply prepare for the presence of the toxin by keeping an eye on the agency's website and avoiding places with high concentrations of it.
NOAA typically samples water around Maumee Bay and Sandusky Bay, where problems show up earlier than they do around Windsor-Essex, said Katie Stammler, the water quality scientist at the Essex Region Conservation Authority.
Reagan Errera is a research ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. (Heather Kitching/CBC)
Currently, NOAA's readings are very low – just slightly above the minimum threshold for detection, she said.
"What it tells us, and what we've been seeing over the last several years, is that the season seems to be starting earlier and lasting longer," she said.
"And that can be due to climate change and changes in our weather pattern, so we did have some wetter weather that might have brought the nutrients out into Lake Erie a bit earlier."
The earlier detection of microcystin means that water operators at Enwin, which operates the City of Windsor's water system on behalf of the Windsor Utilities Commission, will monitor their treatment process more closely and adjust as necessary, said Robert Spagnuolo, the utility's chief operating officer for water.
However, the Windsor Utilities Commission draws surface water from the Detroit River, which flows from Lake St.Clair, Spagnuolo said.
"Since Lake Erie is downstream from our intake, it won't directly impact our water intake," he added.
Provincial standards for drinking water systems
A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks told CBC in an email that the ministry requires operators of all municipal drinking water systems that use surface water as their source to monitor, sample and report harmful algal blooms.
"These requirements provide assurance that drinking water quality is being monitored and appropriate actions are taken when a blue-green algal bloom occurs," Gary Wheeler said.
Enwin has a harmful algal bloom monitoring, reporting and sampling plan (HAB plan) that outlines the monitoring, reporting and sampling requirements once a bloom is identified in Lake St.Clair and/or the Detroit River, Spagnuolo said.
Blue-green algae stinks, contains toxins and chokes off life in the lake. (Courtesy Essex Region Conservation Authority)
He also noted that Enwin's treatment process includes ozonation, which helps destroy algal cells and break down algal toxins; and the utility has also recently installed a HAB monitoring device on its water intake to alert operators when algae levels are increasing.
Errera said she can't yet say why the toxin appeared in Lake Erie so early this year.
Blue green algae generally enjoy warmer waters, she said.
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But this year's temperatures on Lake Erie have been similar to those of last year, and there was more ice this year.
The bacteria also compete well for nutrients and are good at drawing carbon from the water, Errera said.
The lab is currently researching whether carbon dioxide levels might be impacting their number.
In addition, other organisms find blue-green algae unappealing as a food source, making it easier for the algae to thrive, she added.
The algae are increasing their presence across the globe, sometimes in places they've never been seen before, Errera said.
Some of that may be due to increases in temperature.
But she said bacteria are a natural part of the ecosystem, and it's normal for things to "get out of whack a lot of times, and one tends to dominate over the other."
"So this isn't something new," she said.
"We've seen this historically. Even... if we look back in the paleo record, we see cyanobacteria blooms."
This article was originally published for CBC News