CLEARLAKE ? About 50 people gathered at Sunset Fishing Resort on Tuesday to discuss with county officials the affects that massive accumulations of blue-green algae are having on the Clearlake community.
The group also discussed remediation possibilities as well as potential health risks.
A community volunteer task force is being formed to help address the situation. According to Pam Francis, deputy director of Lake County Water Resources, when the situation presented itself more than decade ago, solution was found in volunteer community action.
Sunset Fishing Resort Owner Dian Gibson has agreed to spearhead the effort. For more information contact Gibson at 994-6642. All creative and constructive ideas and efforts are welcome.
Several county officials including those representing lakebed management, environmental health, air quality control and water resources were present to address questions from the public. Clearlake City Councilmembers Joyce Overton and Roy Simons were also present.
Overton said that she will be scheduling a town hall meeting in the near future in effort to induce widespread community participation in addressing the algae problem. She said that she sees the situation as one that warrants emergency assistance from the state and/or immediate action by county agencies and the public. “Our situation is detrimental to our community. It”s unhealthy,” she said. “We know it”s natural but what are we going to do? To me this is an emergency situation.”
According to Francis, there are approximately 130 different species of algae in Clear Lake. The blue-green algae creating havoc in the south county is actually a cyanobacteria and is among the four cyanobacteria commonly seen in Clear Lake. Francis said that lyngbya has only been seen once or twice in the past 15 years.
“Every once in awhile we see this nasty bloom that we”re seeing now,” Francis said. “Nobody knows what triggers this lyngbya to grow. Not much can be done to prevent it or control it.”
According to the Bioremediation Services Web site, lyngbya is particularly difficult to control using traditional copper sulphate and chelates. The algae grow in colonies forming small spongy masses of mucilage. These blue-green, black or gray clumps will lay on the bottom or float to the surface. Because of its protective mucilage, chemical control is difficult.
Lyngbya is one of the cyanobacteria that is known to release toxins into the water. These three toxins, debromaoplysiatoxin, aplysiatoxin and lyngbyatoxin have been found to be major causes of dermatitis, thus Lake County Environmental Health has issued an advisory against swimming in, ingesting or cooking with water found in affected areas.
Recommendations were offered for dealing with the situation at hand.
Officials recommended utilizing a high-pressure spray system and/or sprinkler system to break up the algae mats and sink them. They also recommended using a portable pumping system, which Francis said there are a limited few available for loan through Lake County Public Works. Call 263-2341 for more information. A video presentation illustrating these techniques is also available through the aforementioned phone number.
According to Franz Bingel, a Lake County resident with 25 years in bio-augmentation, breaking up the algae only serves the short term effect. “You”re dealing with live micro-organisms and using high pressure water to break-up the mats then push it out into open water only complicates the matter,” he said. “Without actually killing off the algae, the wind and waves push all that suspended matter back into the harbor and the flocculation process starts all over again.”
Bingel recommends removing the algae mechanically and spreading it out over dedicated ground cover and allowing it to dry out. Francis said that this technique is acceptable and effective.
She also said that another effective technique is applying the sprinkler system prior to the mats forming. The sprinkler system should be applied when a substance much like a black oil slick begins to occur.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
