Great Lakes - Lake Erie algae capitol of the world

I just got back from washing lures for 4 hours. I was south of the sandbar and the lake was full of neon green algae. I have never seen a bloom like this. I am very concerned about the fishery and what damage this bloom is doing to the lake. In the past I have seen small patches here and there but this time the entire western third if the lake is covered. Scientists say that farming fertilizers and sewage runoff is feeding the fire. We as a society need to remedy this problem.
By the way I didn't pull a single fish. Not a thing. Very concerned. I have a weeklong vacation coming up but if the algae doest clear up I will go camp elsewhere. There are several walleye tournaments coming up. Curious to see how the anglers do and how far they will have to go to catch fish.


Paul

Google Lake Apopka. it is a good example of what will happen

Ran into it today south of Grosse Ile/Monroe -- terrible. Green slick that seemed to go for miles.

Fishing in it 7-8 miles off Vermilion on Wendesday was like seeing something from a horror movie..

The major problem is the Detroit sanitary system. It's one of the worst wastewater plants in the world for dumping raw sewage, and it's all going into the lake. They claim they have no money to even fix their wastewater system, let alone upgrade it to handle the sewage that comes in to it daily. It's the MAJOR problem with the algae bloom on the lake. Read up on it, it's humbling to read what they are dumping into to the lake, and that doesn't count the other wastewater plants around the lake.

Russ

I hit the lake this afternoon and it was like I was cruising in a can of green paint!

I have been going out on Lake Erie for more then 40 years and have never seen it this bad before.

The major problem is the Detroit sanitary system. It's one of the worst wastewater plants in the world for dumping raw sewage, and it's all going into the lake. They claim they have no money to even fix their wastewater system, let alone upgrade it to handle the sewage that comes in to it daily. It's the MAJOR problem with the algae bloom on the lake. Read up on it, it's humbling to read what they are dumping into to the lake, and that doesn't count the other wastewater plants around the lake.

Russ

Russ,
have you read the algae thread on OGF? While I agree, WWTP need to fix their discharge, Detroit is really not the problem according to the scientists studying the problem.

I've read and watched several reports on the algae problem, not sure which cause is worse than another. The report I watched on CNN was talking about the billions of gallons of raw sewage Detroit dumps into the lake daily. This was CNN's opinion of why the algae is out of control.

I didn't read the thread on OGF, in fact I don't remember seeing it. I will check it out, thanks for the lead.

Russ

There was a big tournament and people caught lots of walleyes. It was out of Huron, Ohio. Anyone have an idea if they caught fish in the pea soup? Or did they go miles out to the clean water???

Unbelievably bad this weekend, between Catawba and PIB just like thick pea soup. We walked up to the Perry's Monument park on Sunday morning and the stench was unbearable as the East wind had pushed it all along the shore/cement break wall in front of the park, absolutely the worst I have ever seen.

Here is a picture from Sunday:

http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/data/2011/jpg/a1.11282.1827.LakeErie.143.250m.jpg

Truly disturbing scene at kelleys this past weekend..we took the ferry back and forth and the algae stench after a night of camping was a clear sign that we are heading into trouble over the next few years...... The sundusky register is running a full story on the algae problem in tomorrow's paper....

Also, a good read right here: http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Regional/Great-Lakes/GreatLakes-Feast-and-Famine-Nutrient-Report.ashx if link doesn't work, google great lakes feast and famine nutrient report oct 2011

We need to do something.......

There was a big tournament and people caught lots of walleyes. It was out of Huron, Ohio. Anyone have an idea if they caught fish in the pea soup? Or did they go miles out to the clean water???

me and my partners fished tourney and prefished as well. we had great marks while in the thicker algae but in cleaner water, the marks disappeared. we probably did best on the edges where it went from totally carpeted to areas where it was broken up. All in all, it's a pretty sad sight to see, but the fish are there and hungry. Radio talk indicated walleye bite was on fire between kelley's and huron , up near the line.

we were there and we were all in pea soup most fish cought bumping bottom with crawlers you could not get out of it

Those damn liberals need to relax the environmental regulations around those great lakes. I want to see oil wells every sq mile. New refineries, and some coal power plants. Piping oil from canada to texas is rediculous, build the refineries around the great lakes. Sheeesh, lets see a little polution up there to create some jobs. A little algae isnt going to hurt anything.

The major problem is the Detroit sanitary system. It's one of the worst wastewater plants in the world for dumping raw sewage, and it's all going into the lake. They claim they have no money to even fix their wastewater system, let alone upgrade it to handle the sewage that comes in to it daily. It's the MAJOR problem with the algae bloom on the lake. Read up on it, it's humbling to read what they are dumping into to the lake, and that doesn't count the other wastewater plants around the lake.

Russ

MODIS pics most of the summer (July, Aug, Sept) show the Maumee R. as a MAJOR source in the west end of the lake. I would hazzard a guess that agricultural runnoff is a big contributing factor. The west end off Monroe MI has been green since July. Now that the boat has been winterized, I see our end is clearing up. Figures.

I'm sure that you are correct, all of these contribute to the problem. However I have read that the biggest cause is because of Detroit wastewater plant releasing so much raw sewage into the lake. The thought that Lake Erie is the major source of drinking water makes it even more sickening. This is a blurb from one article:

DETROIT, MI (WTOL) - Environmentalists are raising a red flag after Detroit released billions upon billions of gallons of raw and diluted sewage into Lake Erie this year. The city is home to the single largest wastewater plant in the country.
"It covers three million people. It's just huge, and therefore it releases a lot of sewage. There's a lot of overflow," said Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper.
According to Bihn, Detroit unloaded nearly 30 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into the Detroit River during the first seven months of 2011. The Detroit River flows into Lake Erie.

I'm sure that you are correct, all of these contribute to the problem. However I have read that the biggest cause is because of Detroit wastewater plant releasing so much raw sewage into the lake. The thought that Lake Erie is the major source of drinking water makes it even more sickening. This is a blurb from one article:

DETROIT, MI (WTOL) - Environmentalists are raising a red flag after Detroit released billions upon billions of gallons of raw and diluted sewage into Lake Erie this year. The city is home to the single largest wastewater plant in the country.
"It covers three million people. It's just huge, and therefore it releases a lot of sewage. There's a lot of overflow," said Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper.
According to Bihn, Detroit unloaded nearly 30 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into the Detroit River during the first seven months of 2011. The Detroit River flows into Lake Erie.

A little raw sewerage isnt going to hurt the water supply. New Orleans gets all its water from the MIssissippi River and every Chem plant, City along the river dump their crap into it before it makes its way to NO and they are rated the tastiest water in the south. The evnoronmentalist need to allow some pollution up there to create jobs. Think of all the extra medical centers that will be needed, cancer centers, funeral homes. Jobs man jobs.... Its the same old story, as long as its not in my back yard pollute.

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DETROIT, MI (WTOL) - Environmentalists are raising a red flag after Detroit released billions upon billions of gallons of raw and diluted sewage into Lake Erie this year. The city is home to the single largest wastewater plant in the country.
"It covers three million people. It's just huge, and therefore it releases a lot of sewage. There's a lot of overflow," said Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper.
According to Bihn, Detroit unloaded nearly 30 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into the Detroit River during the first seven months of 2011. The Detroit River flows into Lake Erie.

Russ,

that "blub" is factually incorrect. First off the largest wastewater treatment plant in the US serves the Washington DC are, not Detroit.

the City of Detroit has less than 1 million people, so IF this one plant was to be serving three million people then every suburb within about 20-30 miles would have to be pumping their sewage to this plant. It's not happening.

beyond that, 30 billion divided by 3 million people would be 10,000 gallons of sewage per person in seven months. That means that each man, woman and child would have to generate nearly 48 gallons of sewage a day, I simply can't crap and pee that much, and I would guess my shower is around 15- 20 gallons. the numbers stated here are just not correct.

I get that you want the lake to be healthy, so do I. But you are also a smart guy who can do a little basic fact checking when this kind of stuff comes up.

Do the treatment plants release "partially treated sewage" into the rivers? sure they do, that is what they are there for.

do they occasionally get overloaded and have overflows? yep, mainly because of storm drain systems that were connected into the sanitary sewer systems back in the old days. Big storm, lots of runoff goes intot he storm drains and swamps the treatment plant. its a not uncommon problem anywhere in Michigan with a large city. lansing and Grand Rapids are always fighting it.

cheers
jerry

does this problem exist in the entire lake or just the western basin?

does this problem exist in the entire lake or just the western basin?

I believe it starts in the Western Basin and then moves east. This season there was plenty of it off Cleveland, not sure how far east it made it beyond that.

does this problem exist in the entire lake or just the western basin?

Well , i'm not sure how far east it extended but satellite photo's showed it to Cleveland and a bit beyond.

Never saw any in the Conneaut area.

I believe it starts in the Western Basin and then moves east. This season there was plenty of it off Cleveland, not sure how far east it made it beyond that.

Usally the cause is from warm weather and low water levels. I don't think the eastern basin is as shallow as the western side.

The major problem is the Detroit sanitary system. It's one of the worst wastewater plants in the world for dumping raw sewage, and it's all going into the lake. They claim they have no money to even fix their wastewater system, let alone upgrade it to handle the sewage that comes in to it daily. It's the MAJOR problem with the algae bloom on the lake. Read up on it, it's humbling to read what they are dumping into to the lake, and that doesn't count the other wastewater plants around the lake.

Russ


Detroit is absolutely, positively BANKRUPT. The powers that be in that town may not realize it yet or they may be in denial but there is no way they can dig out of the hole they are in. All, as in 100% of tax revenue is used to pay interest in their debt and it still will not even cover all of that. They are not paying down the outstanding debt they have in any way shape or form.

Fixing their sewer system is probably low on the list. Watch for riots there this spring when the state has to step in an appoint an emergency financial manager who will be forced to axe all union contracts with city workers. There is no way they can recover from where the city is at financially.

There was a big tournament and people caught lots of walleyes. It was out of Huron, Ohio. Anyone have an idea if they caught fish in the pea soup? Or did they go miles out to the clean water???

The guy that won that tournament was right in the thick stuff. We were a little further out. The water had a green tint to it, but the algea was not thick where we were, by any means.

Russ,
do they occasionally get overloaded and have overflows? yep, mainly because of storm drain systems that were connected into the sanitary sewer systems back in the old days. Big storm, lots of runoff goes intot he storm drains and swamps the treatment plant. its a not uncommon problem anywhere in Michigan with a large city. lansing and Grand Rapids are always fighting it.

cheers
jerry

horrible decision to tie in the drain system to sanitation. Oh yeah, lets clean all the water from the streets along with the toilet.
Just another mistake that people continue to make thinking they do something good, when frequently the decision turns out bad.

I talked to a close friend of mine who is a Lake Erie charter captain in the island area this week. He claims that if all of the problems that cause the algae were fixed today, it would take 5 years to clean itself up. Pretty depressing.

it would take 5 years to clean itself up. Pretty depressing.

Please, no offense; but I can't see any credibility in that. I know most on this board have more than 4 decades behind them. "Dead Lake Erie" headlines along with all the other Armageddon prognostication didn't really pan out . . .

I am always amazed at how fast the environment finds equilibrium. Forest fires, floods, you name it.

I wouldn't argue the time; it might take a year; it might take 50 years, but this fresh water basin churns through one HELL of a lot of water and everything in the water; that's filtration on a truly massive scale.

I hate green slime, and I do fear Asian Carp and other invasive species; and we should be smart about controlling it. However, I don't get too depressed about it. Good topics for conversation at the dock though.

Enjoy the blizzard today!!
;)

SalmonDaze -- good perspective.
Do what you can do.

Yep. In the 60's you had to dodge the oil slicks but you could catch Perch like crazy, then they said don't eat em because they are full of mercury. Then they said don't eat the fish because they are full of PCB's. Now we have to deal with algae in the fall.What's next?

Sometimes it is hard being a Lake Erie fisherman!

Your right Bluepike...just keep moving forward I guess.