Did you know? What's the fuss about Phospurus??
Did you Know? Aquatic Herbicides Affect Aquatic Plants and Not You: See why!
Did you Know that? Zebra mussels first appeared in Lake St. Clair (yellow star, north of Lake Erie), possibly from ship's ballast water from the Black Sea region. They rapidly spread downstream with the current, and upstream and to other watersheds on boats, with bait, and by other man-mediated mechanisms.
Our herbicides and algaecides do not affect the Zebra Mussels. Zebra Mussels pose significant social, economic and ecological concerns for the Great Lakes and other inland North American waters. The prolific mollusk tends to biofoul and restrict the flow of water through intake pipes, disrupting supplies of drinking, cooling, processing and irrigating water to the nation's domestic infrastructure. The mussel also attaches to boat hulls, docks, locks, breakwaters and navigation aids, increasing maintenance costs and impeding waterborne transport.
Besides these commerce-related disruptions, heavy infestations of zebra mussels also can alter freshwater ecosystems, possibly defeating aquatic resource restoration and development efforts. First observed in the mid-1980s in Lake St. Clair, zebra mussels are not just a Great Lakes problem. Carried mainly by the normal flow of water and boat traffic, zebra mussels have already colonized the Hudson, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Susquehanna, Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. Zebra mussels now inhabit 12 states and the Province of Ontario.
While the zebra mussel invasion and its immense impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem has focused attention on the issue, the introduction of nonindigenous (exotic) species is not a new problem. An estimated 130 nonindigenous species have been introduced to the Great Lakes, most of them arriving since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. Several of these species -- including the sea lamprey, alewife, smelt, carp and milfoil -- have contributed to massive changes in Great Lakes fish and plant communities.
Nor is the introduction of nonindigenous species a problem isolated to the Great Lakes. An estimated 350 nonindigenous species of marine and estuarine plants and animals have been introduced to U.S. coastal waters. These invaders can be a serious threat to native biotic communities and important fishspecies.
Control and Prevention: Most scientists believe that zebra mussels cannot be eradicated, so the goal now is to learn to control or accommodate them. Better strategies to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and the introduction of new species are required. The quagga mussel, believed to be a new species of zebra mussel, has been found in Lake Ontario, and it also is spreading. The vehicles for this spread are numerous and include the hundreds of thousands of recreational boats trailered to and from the Great Lakes each year, and commercial vessels moving between ports.
Ecological Impacts: Zebra mussels are filter feeders. Each adult is capable of filtering a liter of water per day, removing almost every microscopic aquatic plant (phytoplankton or algae) and animal (zooplankton). Zebra mussel colonies in Lake Erie have reached astounding densities of 70,000 per square meter, and experts estimate that Lake Erie's zebra mussel population filters the entire volume of the lake's western basin once a week. The mussel has increased Lake Erie's water clarity up to 600 percent and reduced some forms of phytoplankton, the basis of the lake food web, by as much as 80 percent. The increased water clarity has allowed light to penetrate deeper into the water column, allowing rooted aquatic vegetation to increase greatly in density. Bottom-dwelling (benthic) forms of algae appear to be increasing, as do several forms of insect-like benthic organisms.Researchers have also found that zebra mussels even colonize the shells of freshwater clams and have almost totally eliminated some native species in certain areas.
Because of the huge volumes of water they filter and their high body-fat content, zebra mussels accumulate about 10 times more PCBs and other toxic contaminants than native mussels. These contaminants are transferred up the food-chain to waterfowl and fish that eat zebra mussels. This potential to significantly affect contaminant cycling is of great concern in the Great Lakes, where health advisories already exist for consumption of some species of fish.
Impacts on Commerce and Industry: Zebra mussels rapidly colonize water intakes, forming layers up to eight inches thick. Such infestations along Lake Erie have disrupted the water supply to Monroe, Mich., on several occasions. Millions of dollars are being spent annually by Great Lakes cities and industries to unclog intake pipes and prevent further infestation. Much research is underway to help in this endeavor, and more is needed. In collaboration with the Erie County Water Authority, Sea Grant-funded engineers are currently field-testing a cable-crawling, robotic submarine to locate zebra mussels in water intakes and perhaps to remove them as well.
Hot water has been shown to be an effective treatment for zebra mussels, but it is not always a practical alternative. Chlorine is probably the most popular treatment currently in use, but increased chlorination clearly contradicts the efforts of the Great Lakes community to reduce the amount of chlorine entering the ecosystem. Research has shown potassium, bromine, ozone and ultraviolet light to be possible alternatives to chlorine. More than 30 other compounds are also being studied to determine the effectiveness against zebra mussels and their environmental impact.
Did You Know? Hydrilla was originally introduced in the United States as an aquarium plant. Hydrilla has spread throughout the US and abroad. It grows rapidly from fragments, tubers and turions, and can remain dormant for 7+ years. Hydrilla is unintentionally and easily spread from small weed fragments severed by boat motors. It is transported from lake to lake attached to boat trailers or motor propellers. Since it can grow as much as eight inches a day in clear water, this noxious plant can establish itself quickly and spread rapidly.
Did you Know? Loons need clean, cear water so they can catch fish. A few simple things you can do to help loons:
- Use only phosphate-free detergent and fertilizer.
- Keep pets from running wild along alke shores and harassing wildlife.
- Make sure garbage is out of reach of loon predators like skunks and raccoons.
- Enjoy loons from a distance, especially if they are nesting near your camp.
Did You Know? The resident Canada goose population doubles every three years. As a result, heavy concentrations of geese make playgrounds, athletic fields, corporate campuses, parks and recreational areas, golf courses and residential areas unusable. In addition, just one goose will produce fleeciest 28 times a day.
Did You Know? Nutrients are the main cause for excessive aquatic plant growth. Only a small amount of nutrients added to a pond can cause a lot of problems with aquatic plant growth. Nutrients can be added to your pond in a number of ways, such as, leaves, grass clippings, wildlife waste, and runoff from lawns, cattle pastures, and farm fields all add a large amount of nutrients to your water. Once they reach the pond, they are available for plant growth.
Did you Know? After Treatment the plants turn tan or brown (sometimes even white or pink) sink to the bottom and slowly decompose. Since most aquatic weeds are 90-95% water, little residual is left. However some emergent weeds such as cattails, torpedograss and woody brush such as primrose willow will take weeks or even months to decompose.
Did you Know? Eurasian watermilfoil reproduces by fragmentation, thus it does not rely on seed for reproduction. This reproduction allows for the plant fragments to be dispersed and carried by water currents and wind or inadvertently picked up by boaters.
Did you Know? Eurasian watermilfoil reproduces by fragmentation, thus it does not rely on seed for reproduction. This reproduction allows for the plant fragments to be dispersed and carried by water currents and wind or inadvertently picked up by boaters.
Did you Know? The Eurasian ruffe ( Gymnocephalus cernuus) warrants particular attention because of its great potential for adversely affecting the multibillion-dollar Great Lakes sport fishery. The ruffe is a small but aggressive fish native to Eurasia. It was introduced into Lake Superior's Duluth/Superior harbor area in the mid-1980s in the ballast water of an trans-oceanic ship.
Research between 1988 and 1991 showed the population of ruffe to increase from about 100,000 to more than two million. During this three-year period, the forage fish population decreased two- to three-fold, and yellow perch and walleye populations also declined dramatically. If the ruffe spreads to the other Great Lakes and inland waters of North America, its impact on the sport fishery and tourism economies could be catastrophic.
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Length: 4 to 6 inches (25 cm)
Coloring: olive-brown to golden-brown on back, paler on the sides with yellowish white undersides
Common Names: Eurasian ruffe, river ruffe, pope
Found in Lakes: Huron and Superior
Did you Know? In Europe, the ruffe generally matures in two or three years, but it may mature in one year in warmer waters. It spawns between mid-April and July, depending on location, water temperature and preferred years. The ruffe starts reproducing at age two or three but can reproduce after the first year in warmer waters. An average female can produce 130,00 to 200,000 eggs per season.
Did you Know? A relative of the perch, the ruffe spends its days in deeper water and moves to the shallows to feed at night. To avoid predators, the ruffe prefers darkness, and uses special sensory organs called "neuromasts" to detect predators and prey. The ruffe also has a large, spiny dorsal fin likely unpalatable to predators.
Did you Know? Because the ruffe grows very fast, has a high reproductive capacity and adapts to a wide variety of environments, it is considered a serious threat to commercial and sport fishing. It also has the potential to seriously disrupt the delicate predator/prey balance vital to sustaining a healthy fishery.
Did you Know? Under state laws, it is illegal to possess a ruffe, dead or alive, in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ontario.
Did you Know? Another recent invader causing considerable concern is the a small bottom-dwelling fish with a large head resembling that of a tadpole. First discovered in Lake St. Clair in 1990, presumably introduced via ballast water from transoceanic vessels, the round goby and the tubenose goby have spread to Lakes Erie, Michigan and Superior and to many rivers, including the Mississippi watershed. Round gobies are thriving in the Great Lakes Basin because they are aggressive, voracious feeders that can forage in total darkness. The round goby takes over prime spawning sites traditionally used by native species competing with native fish for habitat and changing the balance of the ecosystem.
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L ength:4 to 10 inches (250 mm)
Coloring: grey with blotches of black and brown over their bodies, dorsal fin may be tinged with green, the front dorsal fin has a distinctive large black spot
Common Names: Round goby, goby
Found in Lakes: Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Superior
Did you Know? Although gobies belong to a family of fish with a worldwide distribution in both salt and fresh water, they had not been found in the Great Lakes prior to 1990. The round goby first turned up in Lake Superior's Duluth/Superior harbor area in 1995. Presumably, the fish arrived in ballast water discharged by trans-oceanic ships.
Did you Know? It can be difficult to distinguish between round gobies and sculpins, but the goby's fused pelvic fin is the best way to tell them apart.
Did you Know? Also native to the Black and Caspian seas region, its cousin, the tubenose goby, appeared for the first time in the St. Clair River in 1990; however, this species--which is endangered in its native habitat--has remained uncommon in the Great Lakes.
Did you Know? Gobies also are capable of rapid population growth. They spawn repeatedly during the summer months, and each time, a female can produce up to 5,000 eggs. The males die after spawning.
Did you Know? In Europe, the diet of round gobies consists primarily of bivalves (clams and mussels) and large invertebrates, but they also eat fish eggs, small fish and insect larvae. In the United States, studies have revealed that the diet of round gobies includes insect larvae and zebra mussels.
Did you Know? Our herbicides and algecides do not effect the Zebra Mussels.
Did you Know? Nor is the introduction of nonindigenous species a problem isolated to the Great Lakes. An estimated 350 nonindigenous species of marine and estuarine plants and animals have been introduced to U.S. coastal waters. These invaders can be a serious threat to native biotic communities and important fishspecies.
Fish Kills- WHY??
Information about Fish Kills during Winter, Spring and Summer
Hydrilla Species
Stop the spread of Invasive Species like Hydrilla. Join the Hydrilla Hunt.
INVASIVE SPECIES: A problem of historic proportions
Michigan waters have been inveded by non-native aquatic plants and animals such as the zebra mussel, round goby, sea lamprey, Eurasian ruffe, Eurasian watermilfoil, rusty crayfish, and spiny waterflea. These species and others are harmful to recreational fishing and do extensive economic and natural resource damage.
Purple Loosestrife
While undeniably beautiful, once it becomes established purple loosestrife frequently becomes the dominant vegetation by out-competing native plants. As native plant communities are reduced, so too are wildlife species that depend on them. Declines in ducks, geese and other wetland birds as well as muskrats, mink and some amphibians have all been noted. There is also concern that purple loosestrife may reduce spawning habitat for some fish.
Phosphorus Input
Natural inputs
Phosphorus (P) is relatively sparse in natural soils and exists primarily as the phosphate molecule that tends to stick to soil as water moves through it. Therefore, in the absence of human-caused impacts, P concentrations in the surface and groundwater that flows into lakes tends to be very low and so usually regulates the potential amount of algal growth in the system.
Human inputs
Human activities lead to increased inputs of P in streams and sometimes in groundwater and even in atmospheric inputs. The most obvious sources are from municipal wastewater (sewage) treatment plants and from industry and are called point sources that are regulated by monitoring loads at the ends of their discharge pipes and setting strict limits. Diffuse, or non point sources, are much more difficult to measure and to control. Agricultural fertilizer-P is a major source of phosphorus pollution in streams throughout the US.
The major sources of P to most urban lakes are non point, are all controllable to a large extent by homeowners and/or local community agencies and typically include:
- soil-P from erosion (construction sites, road banks, shoreline disturbance, lawns & gardens)
- road runoff (street sweepings of crud that accumulates between rainfalls)
- roof runoff
- lawn clippings
- excess lawn fertilizer runoff
- sewage from leaky sewer lines or from on-site septics drainfields
Stop the Service Tax
Lansing lawmakers are considering a 6 percent sales tax on "luxury" services. The problem: The luxuries on their list are services that ordinary people pay for every day.
Help "Minimize the Degree" of Weeds and Algae. Your- Do's and Don'ts
While it's true that most lakes and ponds will naturally have weeds and algae, there are some things you can do to minimize the degree to which they flurish. Most of the suggestions we will provide you with below relate to controlling the amount of nutrients that get into your lake or pond through some obvious, and other less obvious ways. Following these suggestions can have a dramatic effect on controlling the growth of weeds and algae in you lake or pond, so you may want to print this page out for others on your lake or pond.
DO’s
- When you plant or replant your lawn, use a seed mixture with a high percentage of fescue grass. It requires much less fertilizer which acts as a nutrient for the weeds and algae in your lake.
- Leave grass clippings on the lawn. They return nutrients to the lawn.
- Avoid fertilizing your lawn or garden. If you must fertilize, use a product with little or no phosphorus such as 23-0-6, 30-4-4 or 26-4-4. Lake weeds and algae are good sources of nutrients for your garden.
- Use lake water for watering your lawn or garden. Water only when necessary.
- Rake your lawn (leaves) away from the lake. Leaves contain large amounts of nutrients.
- Start a compost pile using leaves and weeds raked from the lake. This compost is excellent for your garden and landscape plants.
- Maintain your septic system regularly. The septic tank should be pumped and inspected every one to three years, depending on usage.
- Reduce the amount of water used in your home by adding water dams to your toilet tank and installing faucet aerators and low-flow shower heads. This helps your septic system operate more efficiently, preventing sewage flow into your lake.
- When feasible, plant a shoreline (20 feet wide) of shrubs, bushes and trees. These plants utilize phosphorus and nitrogen and act as a buffer zone or filter before groundwater and runoff pass into the lake.
- Be sure there is proper drainage on and near your lot so that erosion will not take place.
- If you must use fertilizers, try to find a good liquid fertilizer as these are far less likely to run off into lake waters and are also more likely to be absorbed and retained in the soil.
Don'ts
- Drain any type of sewage into the lake.
- Burn leaves near the shoreline. Burning turns the leaves into instant fertilizer which is easily washed into the water.
- Destroy the soil holding vegetation on the shoreline. These plants prevent erosion.
- Clean fish on the dock and throw remains into the water.
- Alter the natural shoreline unless state approved by the Department of Natural Resources.
- Feed ducks or geese from your dock. Plenty of natural food is available in the lake. Ducks and geese may pass on swimmer's itch and leave significant amounts of "natural" fertilizer.
- Use a garbage grinder in your kitchen. Ground-up food contributes to septic system problems and may add nutrients to the lake.
- Use cleaning products containing phosphates. In Michigan, laundry detergents containing phosphates are banned, but read the label on other products to be sure they do not contain them.
- Harm your septic drain field by adding fill, planting deep rooted trees nearby, or driving a vehicle over it.
More on the Hazards of Nutrients...
Dr. Darryl Warncke, professor of soil fertility at Michigan State University cites nitrogen and phosphorus as the two main nutrients that can enter a lake and stimulate aquatic plant growth. He says that aquatic plant growth is a key player in eutrophication, the natural aging process every lake is undergoing. The natural aging process is supposed to take several thousand years, but recent human actions, particularly the use of nitrogen and phosphorus based fertilizers, has accelerated eutriphication the point that some lake residents have been able to see their lake's water quality deteriorate. "Phosphorus based fertilizers are actually more of a problem than a fertilizer with more of a nitrogen base," Warncke says. "Phosphorus is the biggest contributing factor to stimulation of aquatic plant growth. Many aquatic plants have the ability to absorb dissolved nitrogen that's already in the lake water." It's important for lakefront property owners and residents to minimize the phosphorus inputs into the lake caused by fertilizing lawns, according to Warncke. He says that in many instances soil already has enough phosphorus to support a green lawn, and that applying phosphorus based fertilizers can be a waste of time, energy, money and a potential threat to the lake."I strongly urge lakefront residents to take a sample of their soil and have it analyzed for its phosphorus content before using a phosphorus based fertilizer," Warncke says. "Analyzing the phosphorus content of the soil can determine whether this nutrient is needed at all, or at what levels it's needed to maintain a healthy lawn. In many cases, homeowners over-apply phosphorus based fertilizers or unnecessarily apply these fertilizers." Lakefront residents who want their soil analyzed for nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations can send soil samples to the Soil and Testing Laboratory, Room 81, Plant and Soil Sciences Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Michigan 48824. For more information, call the soil testing lab at (517) 355-0218.
More on Maintaining your Septic System...
If you live on shoreline property, maintaining your septic system requires more care and work than maintaining similar systems in other places. That's because soil and water conditions near the shoreline may make the system less efficient in treating waste, which could, in turn, cause harmful pollutants to get into your lake, stream or pond. Because septic systems on shoreline property are often close to the water and are sometimes saturated during high periods, they are very likely to leak wastes to lakes and streams. Also, when shorelines erode, the distance between the septic system and the shoreline gets shorter and shorter, making it more likely that liquid waste could move horizontally through the soil to the bank and then quickly over the surface to the water. This pollution can happen even though your system appears to be working properly and complies with local health department codes.
Nutrients (especially phosphates) from leaky septic systems play a major role in causing excessive weed and algae growth in lakes and ponds. Just a small amount of additional phosphates in a lake or pond can make a huge difference in the amount of aquatic weeds that grow during the spring and summer. Excessive weed growth, in turn, affects the ability of fish to grow and could even result in large fish kills in summer or winter. Too many weeds and alage make the water less enjoyable to use. Liquid wastes from your septic system that reach the water increase the chance that swimmers near your shore could catch a variety of diseases and ailments, some serious, that are associated with these waters.
There are numerous symptoms for telling if waste from your system is reaching surface water.- Excessive weed or algae growth in the water near your shore.
- An increase in infections or illnesses associated with swimming in the area.
- Unpleasant odors, soggy soil or liquid waste flow over the land surface.
- Health department test results indicate the presence of biological contamination.
- Indicator dye put into your septic tank reaches lakes or ponds.
- Regularly pump and maintain your septic system.
- Conserve water in your home.
- Redirect surface water flow away from your absorption field.
- Plant a greenbelt between your absoption field and the shoreline.
- Participate in a community sewage system or alternative disposal methods, if available.
- If your constructing a new home, construct the septic system as far away from the shoreline as possible.