Algae- Whats the truth

[wakina]

My opinion is that the nutrient runoff caused by the abnormal amount of rainfall has created the perfect storm for algae blooms this year. Those nutrients come from a variety of sources. Namely cities that have an inadequate raw sewage water containment and treatment system, all town and villages with little or no treatment facilities, regular farms and especially factory farms with large livestock feedlots and caged egg facilities as well as urban areas that use large amounts of fertilizer for their green lawns and landscaping.

The phosphorus loads are way more than the rain water can safely dilute, the resulting overload flow slows once it get to the lake and increases the amount of available food for the algae blooms. If the overload kept flowing out of the lake at the rate it flows into the lake then there would most likely not be the large damaging algae blooms. Unfortunately the lake acts like an over sized septic tank and the concentrations of nutrients become more pronounced at the points of entry into the lake.

The Maumee River Water Shed with drainage of 8,316 square miles of surface area is the largest drainage area of all the great lakes. Most of this drainage area is of course farmland which by no means is the only major stand alone source for the phosphorus overload. But, just the sheer magnitude of the size of the drainage area would indicate that the problem holds some significant obstacles in solving the phosphorus overload. Unfortunately the Maumee River drains into the warmest and most shallow area of all the great lakes which intensifies the problem with near perfect conditions for the dreaded algae to bloom and to flourish far beyond any type of naturally occurring algae bloom would otherwise.

I feel this situation could result in one of the worse algae blooms since the 1960s when there were large mats of dead algae floating on the western basin of lake Erie.

Here is a link to the over all size of the Maumee river drainage area as well as some other information.

http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/aoc/maumee/index.html

DISCLAIMER: This post is only my opinion on what is causing the algae blooms and what my research has lead me to believe. I in no way blame the regular Farmers for the overall problem but to leave them out of the equation would be wrong also.

[Hoytman86]

Wakina, is it really opinion when it's well thought out and supported by exceptional amounts of data (as your "opinions" usually are)? I think it's time to fire everybody and bring in more people like yourself that use common sense to assess a given issue and then maybe we can actually apply the correct solution for once.

Thank you as always for the information. Keep up the good work, sir!

[Hoytman86]

Wakina, is it really opinion when it's well thought out and supported by exceptional amounts of data (as your "opinions" usually are)? I think it's time to fire everybody and bring in more people like yourself that use common sense to assess a given issue and then maybe we can actually apply the correct solution for once.

Thank you as always for the information. Keep up the good work, sir!