Published: Friday, August 23, 2024 9:00 am
By: Garret Ellison, M Live
MUSKEGON, MI — Photographers have captured evidence of a persistent harmful algae bloom that’s plagued Muskegon Lake spilling into Lake Michigan.
On Thursday, Aug. 8, Muskegon videographer David J. Ruck captured aerial photos showing blue-green algae exiting Muskegon Lake through the harbor channel and appearing to spread onto either side of the harbor breakwaters.
Ruck, who produced a documentary about the annual bloom on Lake Erie called The Erie Situation, has been monitoring the Muskegon Lake bloom for several weeks.
“I knew it was going to be a bad year,” said Ruck, who captured images of the bloom between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning. “We didn’t have winter and we’ve just had a ton of rain.”
The bloom migration comes two days after Muskegon County Health Department advised municipalities to post signage at access points around Muskegon Lake on Aug. 6.
But that signage has yet to be posted at Pere Marquette Beach, a popular city park on Lake Michigan next to the harbor which is hosting the Great Lakes Surf Festival this weekend.
“That’s concerning,” said Kyle Karczewski, city parks director upon learning about the photos of the bloom entering Lake Michigan on Thursday morning.
“The health department told us it’s inland beaches — Muskegon Lake — and that Pere Marquette isn’t as much of a concern,” Karczewski said.
“The city yields to the public health department.”
Harmful algae blooms (HABs) are fueled by high water temperatures and nutrient runoff — primarily phosphorus. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, produces microcystin, a liver toxin that can sicken humans and wildlife.
A larger-than-normal bloom has survived several weeks through stormy weather in Muskegon Lake, said Alan Steinman, a research professor at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon.
The bloom is a mixture of different algae species, he said. Sc*ms have been present in embayments and nearshore areas with minimal water circulation.
“It’s a really unusual bloom,” said Steinman. “I wish I could tell you why it’s persisted so long, but I really can’t explain it. I’m kind of surprised, quite honestly.”
Steinman said GVSU staff sampled and tested the bloom for toxicity and said concentrations “weren’t outrageous, but they weren’t trivial either.”
That testing formed the basis for a recommendation to municipalities around the lake to post advisory signage warning people to avoid entering the water due to the presence of toxic algae, which is known to sicken people and kill pets.
Mike Eslick, health department operations manager, was not aware of the bloom’s migration on Thursday. He said the focus has been on Muskegon Lake and nearby Mona Lake, which has also shown signs of algae.
“There hasn’t been a huge concern for the Great Lake beaches,” Eslick said.
Eslick said algae bloom testing is difficult because results take a while to return from a state lab and blooms can appear and dissipate quickly. Or they can stick around.
Wind and waves can break up a bloom. Those are forecast for this weekend as a cold front is expected to bring choppy conditions to the lakeshore.
Steinman predicted the bloom might disperse in Lake Michigan as winds pick up. The lake generally lacks the nutrients to feed a bloom for long.
Typical circulation pattern in the lake moves water northward from Muskegon, he said — away from the surf festival but toward Muskegon State Park beaches.
While the primary concern for exposure is ingestion of cyanobacteria, “there is a potential for some of these toxins to be aerosolized, if they’re high enough concentration.”
“I don’t mean to minimize potential concern with the surf festival — we certainly don’t want to put anybody at risk. But given the conditions that we’re experiencing right now, my gut feeling is it’s not going to be problematic,” he said.
“If they contact us to do sampling, we’re happy to do that,” Steinman said.
Surf festival organizer Joe Bidawid said the city’s algae bloom warning was posted on the event website and staff will check the water before people go in.
“The algae bloom has been around. It’s not new,” Bidawid said. “It’s on our radar.”
Algae is nothing new for Muskegon Lake, which receives outflow from the Muskegon River and is prone to blooms. The lake turned green with algae last October during a warm spell.
Muskegon Lake is ringed by development and is recovering from a long history of industrial abuses. It is not heavily impacted by agricultural runoff in its lower watershed as other lakes which struggle with algae blooms often are.
Eslick said that people who encounter algae signage should "take precautions and really not enter the water or let their animals into the water."
tags: Algae Bloom, Boating Safety, Environmental Impact, Great Lakes, Lake Michigan
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