By Jim Steele —
Clear Lake is a beautiful natural lake that is unique in California with its history and significant amount of native flora and fauna.
The extreme blooms of algae, particularly the patches of blue green algae (cyanobacteria), can however be a tourist buzz-kill. I wonder if other lakes have had this problem and how it”s handled.
A friend of mine who came here from Hungary, told me about a lake that has a similar history to Clear Lake.
Lake Balaton was also formed by tectonic forces. The mountains are of volcanic origin with vineyards on the slopes.
Lake Balaton is 20,000 years old lake is very shallow and long with a significant nutrient loading problem and algae and blue-green algae blooms in the summer months. Yep, sounds familiar.
As the largest lake in Central Europe, Lake Balaton hosts about two million visitors each year for boating, swimming and fishing.
Keeping the Lake Balaton clean and the economy strong became very important to this emerging country after its political change to a more open Western-style economy.
Swimming, boating, fishing and eco-tourism mix with agriculture, lakeside towns and new projects.
Sewage discharge from rapidly growing towns, surface runoff, increasing use of fertilizers and large-scale livestock production are the main cause of the nutrient loading to their lake.
Although the causes of the loading are a little different than our Clear Lake, the plan is similar to what will work here.
Officials in Hungary recognized that what happens anywhere in the watershed can affect their lake and what happens to the lake economy affects the rest of the region.
A comprehensive control program was formulated based on scientific research and the entire region worked together to change practices.
An upstream catch-basin was constructed to retain nutrients entering via a stream somewhat analogous to our Middle Creek wetlands project.
Hungary”s sewage treatment plants were upgraded to lower nutrient inputs.
Our pipeline collection system that transports treated sewage to the Geysers has a similar outcome.
Hungary upgraded animal waste treatment and diverted it from the lake.
We, here, don”t have to worry about that, but we have more wildlife inputs.
The Lake Balaton region has a soil protection program to reduce phosphorus laden soils (from volcanic ash) as an important part of their solution.
Lake County has a significantly more extensive issue s in this area.
In fact identifying these inputs should become a larger effort to control the Clear Lake problem.
Has the effort in Hungary worked?
Yes, this combination agriculture/resort driven area has turned the corner and tourism is steadily improving.
What can Lake County do to make the same difference?
Lake County should expand the effort, seeking sources of nutrient loading and systematically work toward solutions from the long list of available methods.
Recently I studied a satellite photo of Clear Lake that used a technique to detect total phosphorus inputs.
The results were astounding with several sources clearly evident.
The main nutrient source identified on this particular image was via Middle Creek during a sediment-laden flow event but other sources were there as well.
The satellite image is processed using algorithms based on light”s reflective values and ratios between bands of light.
This method works to determine the fingerprint of the contaminant”s concentration and location.
Because pollutants and their effect are patchy in location, this is better than the grab sample method and you can go back in time to pick the days you want to analyze.
Nothing could be better than that; let”s get started.
Jim Steele is a retired California Fish and Game scientist, registered professional forester, part-time consultant and a full-time Lake County resident-volunteer.
