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Archive for July 2009

Grand Lake St. Marys Algal Toxins – Common Questions

July 2009 Grand Lake St. Marys Algal Toxins –
Common Questions
from OEPA

Toxic Bacteria Hurts Business During Summer Season

ST. MARYS — Seagulls sing a summer song, while others sit on the banks of Grand Lake St. Marys.”It [the lake]  brings a lot of people here every summer,” said Celina resident Rich Standiford.

Randal Starlin and his family are visiting from Indiana. They’re enjoying a lunch before going tubing.

The usually busy lake doesn’t seem so crowded this summer.

“We noticed at the marina yesterday how slow it was. We were kind of surprised at that,” said Starlin.

It’s actually a sign of the times that’s hurting business at Grand Lake St. Marys.

The Ohio EPA issued water quality advisories for the lake in May warning of toxic bacteria and since then there’s been a difference.

“Our camping is down. Our weekday camping…

OEPA Approves Water Monitoring Program for GLWWA

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) recently approved the Qualified Data Collector Guide, a water quality monitoring program created for the Grand Lake/Wabash River Watersheds.  The plan involves qualified data collectors monitoring both physical and chemical attributes of waterways and using the information collected to study water quality over time.  Monitoring the creeks, ditches, streams, and lake is vitally important in working to improve water quality. The goal is to have at least one monitoring site in each subwatershed to ensure a comprehensive study of the watershed.

A qualified data collector (QDC) is an individual who has been certified by OEPA to collect data.  This data is then accepted by OEPA to show trends and changes in water quality.  Individuals who participate in QDC monitoring must first go through a training session where they learn about credible data collection and how to properly use the equipment involved.  At the completion of the training, participants are eligible to apply for Level 1 QDC status.  As QDC’s gain experience, they will be able to apply for higher and more specialized status levels.  The higher status levels allow QDC’s to perform more complex forms of data collection, which can be utilized for higher level reporting to OEPA.

The QDC’s of the GLWWA watersheds will begin monitoring sites throughout the area.  As more people show an interest, the GLWWA will host another QDC training.  If you have a site that you would like someone to monitor or you would like to do it yourself, please contact Watershed Coordinator Laura Walker at laura.walker[at]mercercountyohio.org, 419-586-3289 or 220 West Livingston St., Suite 1, Celina, Ohio, 45822.

Expert: It’s been in Grand Lake for years.

By Nancy Allen

Expert: It’s been in Grand Lake for years

Algae toxin dilemma

….”

Carmichael said Grand Lake has been nutrient rich for some time. It’s not a natural lake, but really a low spot that was dammed up and now captures large amounts of runoff from mostly agriculture land.

Scientists know what conditions need to be present for blue-green algae to grow in large numbers like it does in Grand Lake - nitrogen and particularly phosphorous mixed with warm, still water. Summer is the time when blue-green algae blooms are the largest.

Grand Lake continually experiences large algae blooms that have turned the water a dense, cloudy green color and causes fish kills. The most recent fill kill occurred during a hot stretch of weather late last month that killed about 600 fish in mostly channels and some in the main body of the lake. Plummeting oxygen levels caused by blue-green algae using up oxygen caused the fish kills, an Ohio Division of Wildlife official said.

The larger the amount of blue-green algae in any body of water increases the chance the water also contains the toxin,…

Lake Test Results Vary

Wednesday, 08 July 2009
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
ST. MARYS — An Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson says varying test results of toxin levels in Grand Lake St. Marys are the result of the different procedures used by a Florida laboratory and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and city of Celina. Samples taken June 30 by ODNR and the city of Celina showed levels of a toxin associated with bluegreen algae to be at levels below the standard of 20 parts per billion set by the World Health Organization. The data shows near the intake to be at 8 and 9.5; Safety Island to be at 12.9 and 13.8; Camp Beach to be at 7.1 and 9.2; East Beach to be at 7.8 and 9.5 and West Beach to be at 6 and 10 parts per billion. The results continued a trend of falling levels of microcystin — a toxin that can cause illness in humans and death in animals.
Ohio EPA spokesperson Dina Pierce told The Evening Leader EPA officials decided to test samples along with ODNR and the city of Celina for a comparison. Pierce said the lab the EPA uses …

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