Managing Future Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Neatahwanta

To the editor:
As in many years past, this summer the waters of Lake Neatahwanta turned thick and green due to a harmful algae bloom.

HABs occur when algae populations explode due to favorable environmental conditions: high sunlight and nutrient levels, and warm temperatures.

As the citizens of Fulton know, these blooms can lead to a decrease in water quality, cause unpleasant odors and tastes and potentially produce toxins that may impact human and animal health.

Currently, the city of Fulton is conducting a dredging project to remove excess nutrients trapped in the sediments. However, are we doing enough to proactively protect our water resources from future HABs?

In the near future, HAB frequency and severity is expected to intensify due to climate change.

This may lead to an increase in water temperature and an increase in rainfall events, which convey nutrients to lakes.

While dredging will remove nutrients currently trapped in the lake it does nothing to protect from future nutrient deposition.

Retention ponds, rain gardens, and constructed wetlands, which retain storm water and nutrient run-off, are just a few management strategies that the city of Fulton could consider.

Additionally, changes to land use policies should be evaluated, i.e., the use of agricultural and domestic fertilizers in watersheds.

These are complex, often contentious issues that impact a wide range of community members.

However, to protect our future water quality it is important that we reevaluate all aspects of our management approaches.

Kristen Slodysko

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