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Posts: 572
Location: Maplewood, MN | Just saw this on the news about Bald Eagle : http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/25447701/ousting-algae-spring-...
-Has anyone heard of this before? Hopefully it is actually as SAFE as they make it sound. Could be really cool to actually see your follows before they are right under you. |
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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | When they dumped alum into the pond in my backyard to clean-up the algae, I did an internet search and found that alum, being a heavy metal, will sink to the bottom and remain in the ecosystem for a very long time. I also found that there are some health risk, but don't know if these have been studied w/ re. to humans and the treatment of algae in recreational watersheds. I did come across research that found alum (the active ingredient in anti-perspirant) has been linked to breast cancer in some studies in Europe. Also, I discovered that alum, while not immediately fatal to fish and other aquatic dwelling animals, does seem to be linked to other effects on amphibians, which may be a cause in their dramatic decline. Plenty of information on alum on the internet. Enough so that if I were a homeowner around the lake, I'd be concerned. Here's an excerpt of what you will find relating to human/alum interaction:
Alum Health Concerns: All forms of alum can cause irritation of the skin and mucous membranes. Breathing alum can cause lung damage. Aluminum also may attack lung tissue. Because it's a salt, eating massive amounts of alum can make you sick. Usually ingesting alum will make you vomit, but if you could keep it down, the alum could upset the ionic equilibrium in your bloodstream, just like overdosing on any other electrolyte. However, the primary concern with alum is longterm exposure to low levels of the chemical. Aluminum, from your diet or healthcare product, can cause degeneration of nervous system tissue. It is possible exposure to aluminum could lead to an increased risk of certain cancers, brain plaques or Alzheimer's Disease
Edited by BrianF. 5/7/2014 9:43 AM
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Posts: 1760
Location: new richmond, wi. & isle, mn | Are these the same guys that sprayed Owasso? |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | Hope it helps i do good in June but after that its pea soup. I guess time will tell |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | jchiggins - 5/7/2014 12:26 PM
Are these the same guys that sprayed Owasso?
Did they actually ever figure out what happened there? |
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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | They investigated and said too much oxygen in the water. Yes, too much. Apparently it does happen and is fatal to fish. Not sure they pin pointed the exact cause. Lots of speculation by anglers was swirling about though. Brian
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Posts: 1000
| Yeah basically what happened was the ice came on too fast, but there was no snow. As a result, light could penetrate to all the plants in the lake and over oxygenate the lake.
Fun fact - pure oxygen is toxic to humans below 33' (one atmosphere) |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | Maybe if the home owners on the lake would stop (over) fertilizing their lawns and planted littoral buffer zones the chemical runoff into the lake could be reduced so that they wouldn't have to add more chemicals to offset the phosphates, etc.
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Posts: 633
| Most of the homes on Bald Eagle are on the other side of a street that goes around the lake. |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | lpeitso - 5/9/2014 7:53 AM
Most of the homes on Bald Eagle are on the other side of a street that goes around the lake.
You don't think the water can travel across the lake and still end up in the water? Also I'm pretty sure all the homes on the eastern shore, as well as a number on the western shore, run directly into the lake. |
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Posts: 921
| It can't just be fertilizing guys. Look at every other lake in the Twin Cities. Not all of them turn to pea soup and you know they are fertilizing their lawns no differently than anyone else on Bald Eagle.
Regardless, I spend a lot of time on Bald Eagle in the summer. Not fishing it because it's a swamp, but hanging out in my buddy's boat drinking beer and scoping out bikinis. His parents live on the lake. It will be interesting to see how the lake looks this summer.
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