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Lake Champlain Committee final 2017 weekly cyano monitoring report

Submitted by tim on

Lake Champlain Committee, Burlington Below is the LCC's last weekly report for the 2017 cyanobacteria monitoring season. From September 24 through mid-week, a record-setting heat wave helped spawn or perpetuate blooms at over 20 monitoring sites along the Lake Champlain shoreline. The wet spring and summer had already flushed lots of nutrients into our waterways priming conditions for cyanobacteria to take off during the spate of hot, still weather. Additionally, we observed a genus of cyanobacteria in the area of the Burlington Coast Guard ramp that presents differently than other cyanobacteria (scroll down for pictures and more information about Scytonema).

Volunteers and partners turned out in force to respond to the blooms, filing reports, putting up signs, and educating people about cyanobacteria. LCC staff fanned out at various beaches along the lake to assess conditions and inform beach goers about cyanobacteria blooms. Many LCC monitors visited sites multiple times during the week. We're grateful for all the dedicated volunteers, state and provincial agency partners, water facility operators, parks and recreation staff, and the Lake Champlain Basin Program for the ongoing efforts that makes this cyanobacteria monitoring program work.

Cyanobacteria blooms are still present in areas of Lake Champlain and some inland lakes. Anyone on the water or shoreline should watch for changing conditions and avoid contact with scums, mats or blooms. While the formal reporting season is ending, LCC will continue to update the blue-green algae tracker (https://apps.health.vermont.gov/vttracking/cyanobacteria/2017/d/index.html) with any bloom reports we receive in the off-season.

Below are further details on water conditions through mid-day Saturday. Please encourage your viewers to check conditions carefully, report any water quality issues (https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/get-involved/volunteers/cyanobacteriamonitors/cyanobacteria-monitor-reporting-form/) and use the links and resource information below to learn more. Urge them to heed cyanobacteria warnings and beach and launch closure signs. During the hot spell earlier in the week, we encountered people in the water ignoring beach closure signs and messages of warning about cyanobacteria.

Thanks,
Lori Fisher, LCC Executive Director

WEEK OFSEPTEMBER 24 CYANOBACTERIA MONITORING RESULTS
The information below represents reporting through mid-day Saturday, September 30, 2017.

Lake Champlain Monitoring Sites(130 reports)
Missisquoi Bay– 6reports - Mixed conditions were reported again this week. High alert bloom conditions have continued at Philipsburg Quebec and have also been reported, as of September 26, at the mouth of the Pike River.Locations on the Vermont side of the bay were reporting good conditions. Conditions can change rapidly so anyone recreating in the bay should watch for, avoid and report blooms.

St. Albans Bay– 18reports – Mixed conditions this week. High alert conditions were reported from several areas onSeptember 25.Some areas have cleared, but everyone in this area should watch for and avoid contact with the water for at least 24 hours after blooms dissipate.

Inland Sea– 6reports – Mixed conditions were reported this week. Alert conditions were reported from the Maquam shore earlier in the week. Other locations reported generally safe conditions without blooms. Conditions can change rapidly so anyone recreating in this section of the lake should watch for, report and avoid blooms.

Malletts Bay–7reports – Mixed conditions this week. Low alert conditions were reported at the mouth of the bay onSeptember 25.Other locations reported good conditions. Anyone in the bay should watch for, avoid and report blooms.

MainLake North– 13 reports – Mixed conditions this week.Low alert conditions were reported from the Deep Bay at Pt Au Roche State Park in NY onSeptember 25. All other sites reported generally safe conditions. Conditions can change readily so anyone recreating in this section of the lake should watch for, report on and avoid blooms.

Main Lake Central– 50 reports – Mixed conditions this week.High alert conditions were reported from many locations along the eastern shore this week.Beaches were closed in Shelburne, South Burlington, and Burlington. Burlington Parks and Rec. staff worked with the Vermont Dept. of Health staff to use and verify Abraxis microcystin test strip results for monitoring several beach areas.This looks to be a useful tool in recreational settings and their use may be expanded next year. Conditions can change rapidly so anyone recreating in this section of the lake should watch for, report on and avoid blooms.

Main Lake South– 26 reports – Mixed conditions this week. High alert conditions were reported from several areas including the Charlotte Beach. Everyone should watch for, avoid and report cyanobacteria.

South Lake– 4 reports - all generally safe conditions; no blooms reported.

Other VT Lakes (16 reports)
Chittenden Reservoir – 1 report - VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation received a report of particulate matter in the water and confirmed that small amounts of cyanobacteria are present in some areas of the reservoir but not at bloom levels. While the area is considered generally safe, conditions should be watched carefully.

Lake Carmi – 5reports – Lake Carmi continues to experience an intense bloom that has persisted for multiple weeks. High alert bloom conditions persisted for a fifth week for most of the lake. Everyone should stay away from the water while blooms persist and avoid contact with the water for at least 24 hours after blooms dissipate.

Lake Iroquois– 5report – Mixed conditions reported this week.High alert conditions were reported from the southwestern areas of the lake onSeptember 25.Conditions have since cleared but anyone recreating in the area should watch for, report and avoid blooms.

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

Lake Morey– 1report – Mixed conditions were reported. Low alert conditions were reported on September 25 from the northeastern area of the lake. There has been no follow-up reporting so far; conditions can change rapidly so please watch for, avoid and report blooms.

North Hartland Reservoir – 0 reports – monitoring has ended for the season here, please be mindful of conditions and report and avoid any blooms if you recreate in this area.

Shelburne Pond – 1report – High alert conditions were reportedSeptember 26from the boat launch area.Anyone recreating on the pond should watch for, report and avoid blooms.

Stoughton Pond – 0 reports – monitoring has ended for the season on this lake, please be mindful of conditions and report and avoid any blooms if you recreate in this area.

Tickelnaked Pond – 0reports –monitoring has ended for the season on this lake, please be mindful of conditions and report and avoid any blooms if you recreate in this area.

Townshend Lake – 0 reports – monitoring has ended for the season on this lake, please be mindful of conditions and report and avoid any blooms if you recreate in this area.

Vermont Drinking Water Facilities Report
There were no toxin detections this week.This is the last week of the 12-week routine monitoring program for VT facilities on Lake Champlain which is funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program.The VDH and the VT Drinking and Groundwater Protection Division will continue to work with water facilities to monitor conditions and test as needed. 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
We have received no reports of closures this week.Check with beach or municipal officials for current conditions.

New York Inland Lakes
Cyanobacteria blooms and beach closures have been reported for some NY inland lakes.For more information, visit the New York Harmful Algae Blooms Notification Page -http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/83310.html. The site is generally updated at least weekly.

SCYTONEMA MATS
As noted earlier, a different genus of cyanobacteria was recently observed at the Coast Guard Boat ramp in Burlington. It's called Scytonema (also known as Lyngbya) and is the same organism that was found over the water intake pipe in Rouses Point in 2012. The mats covered a large area, extending out from the shore through much of the small embayment near the Coast Guard station. LCC and VT DEC staff took water samples that were analyzed by the state lab and revealed that the mats were nearly 100% Scytonema with some entangled Microcystis and Anabena (the cyanobacteria more commonly found in Lake Champlain). Scytonema is known to produce toxins and skin irritants. It forms mats that are coarse to the touch, stringy if you pull them apart and similar to decaying filamentous green algae and dark enough to be mistaken for green algae like Cladophora which is often observed on Lake Champlain. As such, it doesn't match up with our typical guidance for cyanobacteria. We will be updating our protocols for identifying cyanobacteria but in the interim here's some guidance to help you distinguish this from common filamentous green algae:

  • Coloration of these benthic mats is dark olive-green blue. They are very cohesive and can be lifted from the water with a stick (see my photo below) like filamentous green algae.
  • Unlike green algae, they are not hairy or stringy. Instead the mats form cohesive lumps, flaps and flat layers that do not separate easily when gently pulled.
  • They are rough to the touch rather than slippery like some of the common filamentous green algaes. We recommend not to touch them bare-handed.
  • They usually form bottom-dwelling mats but can also float on the surface as was the case at the Coast Guard location.
  • Scytonema is somewhat mobile. If you leave a sample of the mat in water and undisturbed, you will observe filaments separating from the main mass along the edges. These will be deep blue-green in color. Over a longer period, the water will also turn bluish-green as the filaments begin to fragment and float free. Filamentous green algae are not mobile and will not move out from the main clump of material under still conditions. After sitting for a while, they may release spores that may turn the water grass or dark green.
  • Scytonema is reported to produce saxitoxin (a neurotoxin) and an unknown hepatotoxin (liver toxin).
  • Like all cyanobacteria, they should be considered potentially toxic and avoided.

DATA TRACKER MAP
You can see a full compilation of the monitoring reports on the cyanobacteria tracker map (https://apps.health.vermont.gov/vttracking/cyanobacteria/2017/d/index.html) housed at the Vermont Department of Health (VDH). 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 visit 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 these citizen scientist volunteers play in assessing conditions. VDH will keep this site live for several more weeks this fall.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CYANOBACTERIA
Check out LCC's website (https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/lcc-at-work/algae-in-lake/) for more information about cyanobacteria. You'll find additional resources at the links below to help identify, report and avoid blooms.

ACTIONS TO TAKE FOR BLOOM CONDITIONS

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 (https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/get-involved/protection-pledge/) 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 by LCC 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: LCC 9.30.2017