Blue Green Algae Blooms:

Microalgae is a naturally-occurring organism that is an important and necessary component of the aquatic ecosystem. However, when there is a unnatural nutrient load into the body of water an unbalanced growth of microalgae occurs, it can create a nuisance, unpleasant or even hazardous condition called a “harmful algal bloom”.

Harmful algal blooms block sunlight and steal the oxygen and nutrients that other organisms require to live. And, according to the Center for Disease Control, Cyanotoxins (which result from harmful algal blooms) are among the most powerful natural poisons known and can make people, pets, and other animals sick. Unfortunately, you cannot tell if a bloom has toxins by looking at it and there are no known remedies to counteract the effects.

In the U.S., historical farming, real estate development, agriculture, and industry have leached a century’s worth of phosphorus and nitrogen into the soil which ultimately finds its way into our lakes, rivers and streams. When these nutrients combine with septic tank pollution, illegal discharge of boating sewage, and suburban runoff the result is an annually-occurring petri dish of Blue-Green algae in our water supply. Ultimately the blooms spread along rivers where the toxic brew enters the larger bodies of water.

The net effect is a significant annual nuisance to humans and pets, the marine ecosystem, and the business economy.

 

CTA