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LCC: Mostly clear sailing for cyanobacteria monitors

Submitted by tim on

Lake Champlain Committee LCCcyanobacteria monitors mainly reported good conditions this week. There were two low alert blooms at Vermont inland lakes (Shelburne Pond and Ticklenaked Pond) with other sites evidencing good conditions. While blooms witnessed on Lake Champlain were restricted to Missisquoi Bay (one location) and St. Albans Bay (four sites), we are still at the peak bloom period for our region. Spring and summer rains have flushed lots of nutrients into the water and temperatures are predicted to rise through the beginning of next week. The warmer weather could trigger a spate of blooms so please be on the lookout, report anything of concern and avoid cyanobacteria.

This video is a useful tool to help you recognize cyanobacteria. You'll find the latest reports on the Cyanobacteria data tracker housed at the Vermont Dept. of Health website. The most current reports can be accessed through the spreadsheet table to the right of the data tracker map. Click on a dot to zoom in to a location and see the most recent reporting results in the table or select for a location by town using the drop down menu at the top of the page. The cyanobacteria tracker map will continue to be updated as we receive additional reports so please check it out and pass on the link to others in your news reports. Thank you for helping to spread the word about water conditions.

  • Lori Fisher, LCC Executive Director

WEEK OFAUGUST 13 CYANOBACTERIA MONITORING RESULTS
The information below represents the results from the latest reporting through Friday afternoon August 18, 2017. Check the data tracker for the most up to date conditions.

Lake Champlain Monitoring Sites(96reports)
Missisquoi Bay– 7 reports - Mixed conditions reported this week. High alert bloom conditions were reported for the second week in a row at Place de Quai in Phillipsburg, Quebec on August 16 but things had improved to a low alert on August 17. We have no further reports from this site so conditions may have changed. No other blooms were reported at other locations in the bay this week. While all the other site monitors reported clear water, conditions can change rapidly particularly given the hot weather predicted and the shallowness of the bay. Anyone recreating in the bay should watch for, avoid and report blooms.

St. Albans Bay– 13reports – Mixed conditions earlier in the week but good conditions were reported on Friday. Black Bridge had a high alert on August 13 but it had cleared by August 15. St. Albans Bay Town Park had a high alert bloom on August 15 which cleared by August 17. Georgia Beach had a high alert bloom on August 14 which had cleared by August 17. There was a low alert at the Town Dock on 8/17. While the water is considered generally safe as of early afternoon Friday, conditions can change rapidly. Anyone recreating in the bay area should be mindful of changing conditions and watch for, avoid and report blooms.

Inland Sea– 14reports – all generally safe conditions; no blooms reported.

Malletts Bay–5reports – all generally safe conditions; no blooms reported.

MainLake North– 12reports – all generally safe conditions; no blooms reported.

Main Lake Central– 28reports – all generally safe conditions, mainly showing clear water; no blooms reported.

Main Lake South– 16 reports – all generally safe conditions, mainly showing clear water; no blooms reported.

South Lake– Noreports this week. Anyone recreating in this area should be watchful of and report blooms and avoid cyanobacteria.

Other VT Lakes (10 reports in addition to Army Corps reporting)
Lake Carmi – 5 reports – no bloom sightings, generally safe conditions.

Lake Iroquois– 3reports – no bloom sightings, generally safe conditions.

Lake Memphremagog– 1report – no bloom sightings, generally safe conditions.

Lake Morey– 1 report – no bloom sightings, generally safe conditions.

North Hartland Lake – Army Corps of Engineers reported no bloom sightings, generally safe conditions.

Shelburne Pond – 1 report - A low alert bloom was reported at the boat launch on August 15. Everyone in this area should watch for, report and avoid cyanobacteria.

Stoughton Pond – Army Corps of Engineers reported no bloom sightings, generally safe conditions.

Tickelnaked Pond – 1 report - low alert conditions observed for the second week in a row. Anyone recreating in this area should watch for and avoid blooms.

Townshend Lake – Army Corps of Engineers reported no bloom sightings, generally safe conditions.

Vermont Drinking Water Facilities Report
For the third summer in a row, the VT Dept. of Health and VT Dept. of Env. Conservation are collaborating to conduct cyanotoxin analysis of raw and finished water for the 22 Lake Champlain-sourced water systems. The 12 weeks of testing is funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program. The tests began in mid-July and will continue through September. Click here to view results from this week's testing at Vermont Drinking Water Facilities and for a compilation of results from the last few weeks and recent years.

New York Lake Champlain Beaches
No reports of closures this week. Check with beach authorities for current conditions.

New York Inland Lakes
Cyanobacteria blooms and beach closures have been reported for some inland New York lakes. For more information and to sign up for weekly notifications of harmful algal blooms in New York, visit the New York Harmful Algae Blooms Notification Page. The site is generally updated at least weekly.

CHECK OUT THE DATA TRACKER MAP
You can see a full compilation of the monitoring reports on the cyanobacteria tracker map housed at the Vermont Department of Health. LCC adds reports on a daily basis and they are accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The site is a great resource to learn about conditions throughout the season. You can select a lake segment or lake, zoom in on sites, and find out the status of lake conditions based on the most recent report. Please check out the site and let lake users know about this resource. The vast majority of the reports are provided by LCC monitors and a reflection of the important role the dedicated citizen volunteers play in assessing conditions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CYANOBACTERIA
Check out LCC's website for more information about cyanobacteria. You'll find additional resources at the links below to help you identify and avoid blooms.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE OR SUSPECT A BLOOM

  • Report it to the Lake Champlain Committee using our online form. Click here for how to assess conditions.
  • Avoid contact with the water in the area of the bloom.
  • If you've been in contact with a bloom, rinse and shower thoroughly as soon as possible.
  • Keep people (especially children) and pets out of the water.
  • Do not drink untreated lake water. If you suspect a bloom near your intake, don't drink, cook or shower with the water. Boiling water does not destroy toxins.
  • See a doctor if someone gets ill after exposure to a cyanobacteria bloom and have them report bloom-related illnesses to the health department.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CYANOBACTERIA MONITORING DATA?
Lake Champlain Committee monitor reports are recorded on the Lake Champlain cyanobacteria tracking maphoused at the Vermont Department of Health. All reports are vetted by the Lake Champlain Committee or our partners at VDH and the VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation before they show up on the tracker. The map will provide data on Lake Champlain sites as well as several inland lakes throughout the season. The vast majority of information provided on the site come from LCC's cyanobacteria monitors. It's a clear illustration of the critical role these "citizen scientists" play in assessing lake conditions. The weekly reports are also provided to public health, environmental, and recreation agencies and managers and interested citizens. Please pass on this link to anyone you think might be interested in receiving our weekly emails.

SPREAD THE WORD
Please help spread awareness about the risks of cyanobacteria and actions to take to avoid exposure and reduce bloom frequency. No one should be drinking untreated lake water regardless of whether or not there is a bloom. People who draw water from the lake and suspect a bloom near their intake should not drink, cook, wash dishes or shower with the water. Boiling water doesn't destroy toxins.

Blooms are caused by a combination of warm water temperatures and high concentrations of nutrients in the water, particularly phosphorus. Reducing the supply of phosphorus is key to reducing blooms. LCC urges everyone to take personal actions to protect water quality and advocate for stringent controls to reduce nutrients flowing into the lake.

BACKGROUND ON LCC's MONITORING PROGRAM
The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) developed a cyanobacteria monitoring program for Lake Champlain in 2003/2004 and has overseen the citizen-based program ever since. The focus of the program is to raise awareness of the issue, build a database of information on bloom frequency, and identify and publicize any potential health hazards. The information gathered will help us better understand the triggers for blooms and aid in the work to reduce their frequency.

LCC coordinates our monitoring program closely with Vermont and New York health, environmental and recreation agencies. We annually train hundreds of citizens in methods to assess and report on water conditions. We also conduct trainings for state and municipal park staff, town health officers, and public water supply operators. LCC monitors provide important data on lake health from more than 100 Lake Champlain and inland lake locations.

FUNDERS & PARTNERS
The Lake Champlain Committee's cyanobacteria monitoring program is funded byLCC members and the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Key program partners include the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, Vermont Department of Health, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Department of Health, and the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

Source: Lake Champlain Committee8.18.2017