Soupy Great Lake algae a danger sign

[CHIMO]

A resurgence of soupy blue-green algae blooms in the Great Lakes is an ominous sign of suffering water quality that poses health risks for people who depend on the lakes for drinking water, food and recreation, according to a U.S.-Canadian report released Wednesday.

Excessive levels of nutrients such as phosphorus are producing some of the worst cases of eutrophication — runaway growth of algae and other aquatic plants — since the 1970s, the report from the International Joint Commission said. Among suspected causes are overflows from inadequate municipal sewage treatment and septic systems, plus runoff of livestock manure and fertilizers from large farms.

The algae resurgence hasn’t become a huge problem in Lake Ontario because its water is cooler and deeper than Lake Erie’s, said Bruce Kirschner, assistant director of the Great Lakes Regional Office in Windsor and a member of the International Joint Commission staff.

Other emerging threats mentioned in the report include poorly regulated chemicals found in products such as medicines and flame retardants, groundwater contamination and damage from quagga mussels and other invasive species. Most of the dangers are showing up in the “nearshore zone,” which includes the Great Lakes’ shallow waters as well as wetlands, tributaries and groundwater that feed them.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/951550--soupy-great-lake-algae-a-danger-sign?bn=1