Fresh Water-Healthy Lives Mary McKinney Schmidt Writer and Great Lakes Advocate |
| If you have suggestions and comments, contact mary@freshwaterhealthylives.org Copyright 2008 Mary McKinney Schmidt |
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| Deck Night Continued |
January 14, 2008 Don't Look Far For Source of Phosphorus A shelf of green algae rolled in with the waves, darkening the waters outside “Big Red.” My stomach curled as I realized I’d have to wade through several feet of the thick, green slime before I could reach clean water. Many of us shake our fists at other cities when heavy rains overpower treatment facilities, dumping raw sewage into Lake Michigan. But our community is guilty of another damaging source of pollution Excessive levels of phosphorus race through Holland’s storm sewers, entering Lake Michigan through what scientists call “non point” sources of pollution. Surface runoff and groundwater infiltration are the primary culprits. “Could the algae I saw be cladophora?” I asked Dr. Alan Steinman, Director of Grand Valley State University's Annis Water Resources Institute. My heart sank as I heard his response. Cladophora is native to the Great Lakes. But its explosive growth over the last couple of years is anything but natural. Spurred by higher levels of phosphorus and increased sunlight because quagga and zebra mussels are filtering the water, cladophora is spreading rapidly along Michigan’s shoreline. Its dense mats form an ideal breeding ground for Type E botulism, a poison scientists consider the culprit behind the death of thousands of birds that littered the beaches of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore last summer. There is not much we can do about the mussels. But the phosphorus loads in Lake Macatawa are significantly higher than federal standards established by the Clean Water Act. In its most recent study, the Environmental Protection Agency found the Macatawa watershed as polluted in 2006 as it was in 1996. We have no right to point fingers anywhere else. Ottawa County’s ban on the sale of fertilizers containing phosphorus will help. Allegan County must pass similar legislation. But the greatest challenge lies upstream, along the shores of the Macatawa River and its tributaries. Farmers straightened the river in the late 1800’s. Without its meandering, holding ponds and wetlands, the river roars through the countryside during storms, picking up thousands of gallons of phosphorus-rich sediment along the way. That sediment dumps into Lake Macatawa, eventually reaching Lake Michigan.
Commission and other public and private organizations are investing in the restoration of portions of the river. In addition to providing public access to natural areas, their efforts reconfiguring the river and adding wetlands and buffers should improve the river’s water quality. But most of the river and its related tributaries slice through farmlands. And according to scientists, crop soil management and the nutrient and manure programs of large livestock operations are critical to managing heavy phosphorus loads. Who is focused on these potential sources of pollution? The ultimate responsibility for our watershed lies with the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council. Yet despite our non-compliance with federal standards, despite ten years without progress, there is no full-time person devoted to cleaning up our watershed. Will it take dead birds to prioritize the necessary staffing and funding? All of us can play a role in minimizing phosphorus levels. We can use downspouts to divert runoff to gardens and lawns rather than allowing it to flow unabated to storm sewers. We can use cleaning detergents and fertilizers with little or no phosphorus. We can be good stewards of this earth. The birds soaring overhead are depending on us. |
| What You Can Do... Reducing phosphorus levels in the Great Lakes is critical to restoring the natural balance of the ecosystem. You can help!
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A thick shelf of algae washes up along the
shores of Northpoint, the tip of the peninsula
north of Traverse City. While algae like
cladophora is native to the Great Lakes,
increasing levels of sunlight and
phosphorus are causing the algae to spread
rapidly along the coastal shores of Lake
Michigan.
shores of Northpoint, the tip of the peninsula
north of Traverse City. While algae like
cladophora is native to the Great Lakes,
increasing levels of sunlight and
phosphorus are causing the algae to spread
rapidly along the coastal shores of Lake
Michigan.
Efforts by organizations like the Macatawa
Greenway Partnership will improve the
quality of water downstream. Pictured
above, the natural meandering of the
Macatawa River was restored, helping to
filter phosphorous from the waters flowing
downstream. Photograph courtesy of Greg
Holcombe.
Greenway Partnership will improve the
quality of water downstream. Pictured
above, the natural meandering of the
Macatawa River was restored, helping to
filter phosphorous from the waters flowing
downstream. Photograph courtesy of Greg
Holcombe.
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