Algae in the local lakes

© Serhii Voroshchuk | Dreamstime.com

By Mark H. Stowers

Algae – simple plants that live in oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds and even moist soil – is both beneficial and harmful and thrives in every corner of the world. The naturally forming organism can be one-cell microscopic organisms or multi-cell strands or colonies and is crucial as it creates and provides nearly three-quarters of the world’s oxygen supply.

Lacking a true root, leaf and stem system, algae are more simple than aquatic plants. Some algae species drift or swim, while others are attached to stones or aquatic plants in the water. All algae contain chlorophyll (a green pigment). Here in Michigan, algae are much the same in both upper and lower Michigan and are plentiful in lakes, streams and rivers, serving as a basic food source for fish and other aquatic organisms while also providing shelter from predators.

However, some types of algae can be problematic, clogging water bodies and creating unsightly conditions or even hazardous environments. Scientists, biologists and other experts work together to understand the effects of algae and to control and mitigate issues when necessary. Additionally, algae play a vital role in ecosystems worldwide.

Naturally present in water, algae forms when microscopic algal cells multiply rapidly and grow due to the presence of sunlight, water and sufficient nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, often coming from sources like fertilizers, pet waste, improperly functioning septic tanks, grass clippings, leaves and other yard wastes – all sources of nutrients that can create an overbreeding of algae forming harmful algae blooms (HABS) in large quantities.

Depending on who you ask, the number of different species is endless. According to the National Library of Medicine, Algae have been estimated to include anything from 30,000 to more than one million species. There’s even an on-line taxonomic database, Algaebase.org, that exists to count and document them all. Despite uncertainties regarding what organisms should be included as algae and what a species is in the context of the various algal phyla and classes, the site lists 179,171 species and infraspecific names, 23,703 images, 73,554 bibliographic items and 585,133 distributional records. The reason so many scientists have gone to such extremes to study and count and configure is that oxygen is produced by photosynthesizing organisms that live in the ocean, in fresh water and on land. These organisms include bacteria, algae and plants. Photosynthesizing algae in the ocean produces nearly 70 percent of oxygen in the atmosphere. Algae research has focused on creating biofuel, medical supplements and even food from this ever-present world-wide organism.

Ali Shakoor, a Ph.D. candidate in Aquatic Ecology at Wayne State University, is also a professional walleye fisherman so he’s out and about in Michigan waters quite often fishing and researching.

“There are basically two types of algae - green algae (good) and blue-green algae (bad.) Green algae can run the gamut. They can be single cells and they can survive as part of colonies. They can have large specimens such as kelp. And you have certain common types,” Shakoor said.

One of the most common types of green alga is ankistrodesmus – a freshwater alga that forms in colonies and are used in biofuel research. selenastrum and scenedesmus are two other common algae found in Michigan.

“Chlamydomonas is found in stagnant water and can also be found on damp soil. It is a little unique in that it can be found in freshwater or salt water. And this one is motile, so it's flagellated. It has two flagellas, which are whip-like tails. It actually can move a little independent of wind and waves,” Shakoor said. “Some algae can even grow in the dark.”

Shakoor reiterated the importance of green algae.

“These are referred to as primary producers meaning they produce a large amount of oxygen. They form the base of the food web. If algae were to suddenly disappear, there'd be a collapse in food webs worldwide. They are extremely important. When people see these algae in their lake, it's not always a bad thing.”

He noted “other common green algae, chlorella and spirogyra and volvox, which is colonial – one large cell with multiple daughter cells inside. If that mother cell were to burst, those daughter cells would go out and they'd live on their own and become their own colony.”

The bad algae or nuisance species are the blue-green and the main one in Michigan is cladophora.

“Typically grows on hard substrates. Like rocks and logs. They form these large mats and wash up on shore. And when they start to rot, they are really smelly. Those mats are known for enticing bacterial growth – enterococci and e coli. Not fun if you live on the lake and it's below the shore in your yard or on your beach. It's also linked to botulism. Avian botulism outbreaks, which will kill birds. It's becoming more of an issue.”

He also explained, “Rock snot is a unicellular organism (diatom) and another invasive, nuisance algae.

Diatoms peak from April to May, green algae peak in June and then blue-green algae will peak in July and August. Even though rock snot is a nuisance, it still produces oxygen.”

The blue-green algae have an evil friend of sorts in the invasive species world – zebra mussels, according to Shakoor.

“They filter the water column, which allows more light penetration, which allows for certain species to grow deeper in the water column,” he explained. “Quagga mussels will deposit nutrients on the lake bottom in the form of pseudofeces. And one of those nutrients is phosphorus which is fuel for algae growth.”

Other bad algae include cyanobacteria with naturally creating blooms in just about any water environment.

“They can occur everywhere from a small farm pond to the largest lakes and oceans that you can imagine. They occur everywhere and are very common. The primary one that I work with is microcystis ichthyosauria – the most common mat-forming cyanobacteria in the western basin of Lake Erie. It has these little air vacuoles that allow it to float. And all the cyanobacteria can produce typhoid. And those toxins can be nasty. They can be hepatoxic, neurotoxic, endotoxic and they can impact human health.”

These toxins can cause skin problems from being splashed with lake water.

“They can cause rashes on your skin, cause you to break out. There's a lake in Ohio outside of the Lake Erie watershed but they experienced bad blooms. Some families lost pets. You'll see warnings from the DNR not to swim when the algae are really thick in the water.”

The harmful algae may impact human and pet health but they also could impact fish. If bait fish go to those blooms for cover, then the larger fish will follow.

“If you have fish that live on the bottom, they may become mid-water column or fish that are nocturnal may become more active in the daytime. This can have possible negative reproductive problems that will be compounded annually,” Shakoor explained.

A massive algae bloom caused three-quarters of a million people in southeast and lower Michigan and northwestern Ohio to lose their drinking water supply for a week back in 2014. A northeast wind stacked cyanobacteria deep in the water column and made its way down to the intake where it got sucked in.

All bacteria and algae experience growth spurts when excessive phosphorus and nitrogen along with warming water create the perfect conditions. Hotter than normal summers create a longer growing season. Run-off water from storms that filter through golf courses, residential lawns and construction sites brings pollution including phosphorous fertilizer that creates a perfect storm for all algae to grow creating problems.

“Microcystis forms those big mats. It starts to grow and when the wind is blowing, it keeps everything mixed in the water column but when that wind lays down and everything flows up to the surface, that's when these large blooms will form,” Shakoor said.

There are healthy blooms but they can become a problem when the algae dies and sinks. As it decomposes, it creates a low-oxygen areas or dead zones in small lakes or ponds. Fish don’t have enough oxygen and die. One way to help with run off is to create shore buffers. Areas of plants and rocks that would filter the runoff before getting to the water.

There have been In Oakland County instances of harmful algae blooms. Bald Eagle Lake had the worst outbreak with cyanobacteria verified and toxins detected last June. Other lakes had cyanobacteria verified dating from June to September but no toxins were found. Those lakes include Loon Lake, Huntoon Lake, Village Wood Lake, Kent Lake, Lake Sherwood and Tipsisco Lake. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) occasionally sample for harmful algae blooms and collaborate with local health departments to protect the public when toxins are found.

Lake residents can report suspicious algae to EGLE by calling 1-800-662-9278 or emailing AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov. EGLE has also created a website for frequently asked questions (michigan.gov/egle/faqs/water-quality-protection/harmful-algal-blooms).

In terms of algal booms, the EGLE website says they can have a variety of colors and can look like scum or even foam, or they can be mat-like and even look like an oil spill. Not all blooms have toxins. Blooms form when water temperature increases on a calm lake along with a high-level of nutrients. Blooms typically form during the summer and into the fall and can last days or even months. Bloomscan rapidly change in size and even location within the same day; and they can disappear and form again just weeks later.

If you find a harmful algae bloom, it’s best to report it and stay out of the water. Don’t fish or swim and keep your dogs or any other animals out of the water. Because dogs can swallow cyanotoxins when they groom or lick themselves, it’s important to rinse them off with fresh water after contact with water that may have had a algae bloom.

Symptoms often appear quicker in animals than in people—sometimes in minutes to a few hours and may include vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, staggered walking, excessive drooling and convulsions. Deaths can occur. Contact a veterinarian immediately if pets or livestock have had contact with a HAB or are showing signs of illness.

Gregory J. Dick, Ph.D., Director ofthe Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research and Director, Great Lakes Center for Freshwaters and Human Health at the University of Michigan offered more algae insight. The environmental microbiologist has been focusing on cyanobacteria and bacterial blooms for the past decade.

“There are a group of organisms called cyanobacteria, photosynthetic bacteria. They're not algae, technically speaking but really bacteria. That's the main type of algae that we have in the Great Lakes and lakes around Michigan. They're the organisms that are doing photosynthesis and bringing energy into an ecosystem and ultimately serving as the food source for the whole food web, including fisheries,” Dick said.

These algae are essential and not problematic as they sustain food webs and fisheries and aquatic systems, according to Dick.

“And then there are these harmful algae. These are organisms that can produce really thick scums. You've probably seen some of these pictures of the green pea soup-like scene that occurs in some lakes. They can be really ugly. They can smell bad and they can also produce certain small molecules that are toxic and these toxins are a big concern for drinking water safety and for recreational safety and have impacts on ecosystems.”

Another bad alga – dolichospermum – produces toxins.

“We affectionately refer to it as Doli. And it's again a cyanobacterium but it produces a different set of toxins including one called saxitoxin, that's a big concern. And then there's another group of organisms that is affecting Lake St. Clair called microcera. And that one forms these big mats of algae that can wash up on the beach. And again, it's a concern because they can produce toxins as well.”

Dick’s research is used to help understand why the organisms produce the toxins. There are toxins that are not always produced and so “trying to understand what triggers so that we can know when and where a toxin will be produced is one of our big goals. Improving scientific understanding so that we can make better forecasts is one big thing and that's something that the Institute for Great Lakes Research worked with NOAA to take the research, transition that into forecasts that the public can use.”

He also noted the research is ongoing because in some cases, “We don't even know what to look for because there's new toxins or toxins that are new to the region that are becoming more important here as the climate changes. That's another big area of research. We want to know what toxins present and what conditions are promoting their occurrence.”

Good algae can be used for medicinal or pharmaceutical uses, according to Dick, who added, “We can explore new antibiotics or new anti-cancer compounds or antifungal compounds.” He also explained that research is looking at the impacts on human health.

“Two things – how is climate change going to affect these algae? And how is that going to affect human health? We know that these cyanobacteria grow faster at higher temperatures. And so we think that climate change is playing a role in the proliferation of these harmful algal blooms. Same thing with rainfall. We're getting more frequent and bigger storms in the springtime and that's contributing to more phosphorus running off into our lakes. That’s expected to have an impact. And then we're collaborating with colleagues in biomedical sciences to try and understand the impacts on human health. One of their findings is that these toxins can actually become aerosolized. They can be incorporated into little bubbles that form when waves break out on the lake. And those bubbles, those aerosols, can get up into the air and it's been shown that there are health concerns if you inhale those aerosols.”

He also explained that microcystis, a bad alga, overwinters in sediment in a relatively dormant state and then gets reactivated in spring with storms.

“That sediment can get kicked up into the water and when conditions are right, the algae can start to grow again,” Dick said.

Dr. Casey Godwin, Associate Research Scientist for the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) is a limnologist. He studies inland lakes and his expertise is in nutrients and water quality, which include algae.

“The subject of algal taxonomy is pretty complex,” Godwin said. “Algae are really the base of the food web in a lot of lakes and also in many streams. Some types of algae like diatoms and green algae, you're going to find in a wide range of conditions from very pristine, low-nutrient environments like you might find way up north someplace where there's not a lot of people around. But you'll also find them in really productive waters like we have in southeast Michigan.”

On the brighter side, Godwin noted that he is also studying algae’s role in the field of biofuels.

“That is something that has been on the horizon for a long period of time. Per square yard of area, under the right conditions, algae energy and cultivation can produce more than some of these conventional crops like soybean or corn. That said, I can't go down the road from me and buy a fuel made out of algae. They are on the horizon for a long time. There's been a lot of investment by the department of energy and other entities on that.”

Apart but in conjunction with the academic field, local watershed councils in Michigan have stepped up their efforts to help with algae problems in the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie. Water quality monitors have been set up in five sub-watersheds in the southeast corner of the state that either feed directly into the lake or one of its tributaries.

The increased monitoring of upstream waters in southeastern Michigan should help provide more data that can be used to forge a more effective way to deal with the nutrient runoff. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is kicking in $4.86 million to pay for the expanded network. Another $600,000 is coming from the Erb Family Foundation.

The expanded network includes 50 monitoring equipment locations measuring water levels, turbidity (cloudy water,) the amount of suspended sediment in the water and conductivity, the total dissolved solids in the water. Ten of the locations will have autonomous phosphorus analyzers producing data every two hours and the plan includes taking water samples at all 50 sites and having them tested in a lab.

Though no algae can be completely eradicated, the use of machines and chemicals can help manage a nuisance alga and help keep “good” algae maintained and controlled to some degree.

Biological control for algae growth in lakes can be as simple as introducing natural predators or competitors into the ecosystem. Attempts at control include stocking fish that eat algae, or adding plants that compete with algae for nutrients and introducing bacteria that consume algae. Biological control is often considered the most sustainable and environmentally friendly method of controlling algae growth, as it relies on natural processes to keep the ecosystem balanced.

Another approach is mechanical control by physically removing the algae from the water. A temporary solutions includes skimming the water’s surface to remove floating algae or by vacuuming the algae from the bottom of the lake. There is also Ultrasonic algae control that uses sound waves with frequencies above 22 kHz to control the growth of algae. The ultrasonic waves cause the algae’s gas blisters to break, killing the algae. These treatments are alga specific with specific water conditions so there are multiple programs. This environmentally friendly treatment is also safe for aquatic life and effective against large algae blooms.

On the mitigation and control side, Scott Aerator and Aqua Weed Control are but two companies working to help those in need understand eradication, mitigation and control methods.

Ted Ferrell helps manage Scott Aerator based in Holland, Michigan, which ships products all over the world.

“As a manufacturer, we manufacture pond fountains and aerators generally for larger bodies of water like a quarter of an acre and up with a minimum depth of three to four feet. We also do subsurface aeration,” Ferrell explained.

Basically, they move water and create oxygen. Subsurface aeration is comprised of a compressor and weighted tubing and diffusers that sit on the bottom of the pond to move water.

“The nitrates build up over the years from leaves and aquatic debris and its easier for those ponds to become toxic and fish start dying off,” Ferrell said. “We move water.”

Their Aqua Sweep is used around boat docks and other “mucky situations.” It is dropped to the bottom of a pond, raised four inches “and it blows all the weeds, silt and stick and things that can be easily uprooted. It’s not a weed whacker. If you have some king kong weeds in there, you have to go out and extract them mechanically. But usually about 85 percent of the weeds grow in the muck that collects in ponds. It also helps with swimmer’s itch that is found in stagnant or stratified water. That can be a real nuisance.”

“We also sell chemicals for weeds and for algae. You can do it naturally with an all-season pond clarifier. We have muck pellets that are natural. We have other treatments where if you have blankets of algae floating, you can spray on these chemicals. It’s basically a ‘Round Up’ for weeds above the water or floating. It has a surfactant that makes it stick to the algae,” he said. “You spray this chemical on there. It'll turn it from green to brown and then it goes from brown to white and then it just drops to the pond bottom and disintegrates.”

The chemicals are highly regulated by EGLE .

“We help people with chemicals but we don’t handle the higher-level of REI (restricted-entry level). If is a restricted chemical, we don’t get into the licensing part. We do have something we just started selling. It kills algae with sonar. This gizmo floats in the pond and it works off of sound. Water IQ Technologies created this. If algae are what you’re looking to attack – blue-green algae or green algae.”

There is also a product, Pond Dye, a concentrate that is put in the pond just after it thaws out and it blocks out UV light.

“You're going to stop the photosynthesis of all that unwanted aquatic vegetation below the surface. It's like one of the cheapest insurance programs you can get. It just doesn't allow and take off and get out of control,” he said. “It doesn’t kill it but it does prevent it from continuing to thrive.”

A one-quart container will take care of a one-acre pond that is six to eight feet. The dye is not a colorant and doesn’t stain clothes or animals. The company started 60 years ago selling de-ices for boat docks.

Oakland County based Aqua Weed Control in Holly has been working in the industry for half a century. Manager Blake Cuthbert

has been helping folks figuring out their aqua weed problems for nearly two decades.

“Algae is always a fight for us every single year, especially years where we don't have a lot of ice cover,” Cuthbert said. “This year we should have a little bit better or have less algae just because the snow has been on top of the ice all year. But last year was especially bad because of the warm winter and early spring.”

Aqua Weed Control works water bodies in southern Michigan and doesn’t get above the Flint area.

“Basically, from the Detroit River area all the way over to Lake Kalamazoo,” he said. “Typically, if it's in a pond, someone can let us know, ‘hey, can you come take a look at our pond and let us know what we have?’ They can either then have us survey or service it after we get a permit or if they are interested in doing it themselves, we can recommend the product that they should use and they can go through and get the permit for that. If it comes to a lake, they would need a group of homeowners or some sort of association, special assessment district through the township to then have us service the lake and treat for the algae.”

Aqua Weed Control deals with EGLE to get the needed permits when dealing with chemicals. They typically can identify the algae and treat it.

“If we are trying to identify species, we have to have it sent to a lab. We don't do any manual removal of the algae. There are some companies that do harvesting where they can harvest what we call macroalgae. It looks like a moss on the bottom of the lake and they do harvest that. For the most part, the algae are just sprayed with a different type of algaecide and left to decompose,” he said. “For the most part, microalgae control is done using a copper-based product. There are other types of algaecides that don't have copper or copper sulfate in them. Those are sprayed underneath the water or on top of the algae, depending on where it's located.”

Cuthbert noted the biggest algae culprit in Oakland County that they deal with is starry stonewort.

“It’s invasive and primarily found in Michigan, specifically southeast Michigan. The other type of algae that we deal with a lot is what people see on the surface, filamentous algae. It's that bright, almost neon green algae that floats on the surface.”

The native algae can grow quickly when exposed to sunlight along with any type of run off or fertilizer entering the water body.

“Typically, what you will see is or along the shoreline on a hot summer day,” he said. “We have flat-bottomed boats that we put into the lake with a tank on it. We mix the products in the tank. We measure out the amount we need based on the acreage of the treatment area and spray out of the tank with a hose. All of our products are regulated and approved by EGLE and the EPA. We follow the label and apply at the label rate or below the label rate. Then send that report to EGLE after the treatments every year so that they're aware of what we're using and how much.”

He explained that prevention is key in working to control any type of algae.

“If people do prevent run off from entering water bodies from storm drains, fertilizer, leaves falling off trees, any sort of nutrients that can help the algae grow, those can be mitigated and prevent from having to do treatment at all. It's just having nutrients in the water is what's creating those blooms.”

Cuthbert recommends raking yards can be one simple solution and not using fertilizer for yards and gardens before a rain. Also, by making some sort of natural vegetation barrier between the lawn and lake to catch any sort of nutrients that might flow in so any sort of shrubs or flower garden or mulch can be quite beneficial in keeping algae at bay. ­­­­