BLUE GREEN TOXIC ALGAE IS BACK

This really harmful algae has been identified at Belwood Lake and as per today's K-W Record "Precautions urged at Belwood Lake", it is nothing to fool around with. Algae blooms occur more regularily than they used to and unfortunately are also common each summer at the Woolwich Dam just north of Elmira. Those "blooms" are normally green in colour and will coat your pet's legs and body if you let them swim in it.

Interestingly enough the K-W Record have an opinion article by Jeff Gunderson , which blames farm runoff of fertilizers and pesticides for significant damage to the Gulf of Mexico. This story pinpoints nitrogen and phosphorus as the culprits causing a dead zone due to lack of oxygen. This is where my lack of study in biology shows up. I think (guess) that this dead zone due to a lack of oxygen is not only related to excess nutrients such as nitrogen but is also related to the first story about algae blooms. It seems to me that agricultural runoff locally is to blame for algae blooms which thrive in the warm, nutrient rich water in lakes. My guess is that these blooms themselves take oxygen out of the water for their own use. Now if any readers can clarify or correct, it would be appreciated.