Why do lakes turn green?

Ever wonder why lakes turn green? When I was younger, in the 1970s and 80s, there were fewer green lakes, or at least that is the way I remember it. Of course, like most memories, that is romanticized. In the 1960s, rivers were on fire, and lakes such as Lake Erie became ‘Dead’ because they were so polluted. The triple threat of heavy industry/mining, agricultural runoff, and ineffective sewage treatment combined in the 1900s to destroy vast surface and underground water resources.

The good news was that with such terrifying events as the Cuyahoga River fire of 1969, it was impossible to ignore the devastation. The 1972 Clean Water Act went a long way to restoring our waterways. I was born that year, so the date sticks in my mind. In the past 49 years, the sad thing is that we have forgotten how bad it was before the Clean Water Act. We humans like to think in a chronological, linear fashion. That we make a mistake correct, it and things keep getting better. That is not true.

The previous Administration stripped away the need for permits to regulate and eliminate pollution discharged into rivers, streams, and wetlands. They also eliminated some restrictions on coal power plants, auto emissions, asbestos use, acceptable amounts of mercury, radiation exposure, pesticide usage, and methane emissions. Many state and local governments with jurisdiction on agricultural waste discharge, sewage treatment plants, and septic systems have also reduced necessary environmental standards over the past few decades.

The reasons given to reduce environmental protections are twofold. First, the ‘New and Improved’ process is so much safer we don’t need to conduct extensive environmental impact studies or limit what we are doing. We don’t need to put millions of dollars in escrow in case an accident happens. New mining applications or large construction projects highlight this issue.

Checkout Picher, Oklahoma, to learn what can happen when it goes wrong. The other main reason is jobs; I hear that one a lot. Again is used in mining, drilling, and construction to justify operations in pristine wilderness especially.

Mining, drilling, and construction jobs can often be good-paying jobs; there is no doubt. We as consumers want a lot of what comes from the labor of these jobs. We can justify a highly toxic mining operation to get minerals out of the ground because this is 2021. We must be a lot smarter and have better, more environmentally friendly ways to get stuff out of the earth.

It was better than what happened in Picher, where the entire town was destroyed, and their drinking water was made toxic, right? The Bayou Corne Sinkhole, the leftover result of a mining operation, caused hundreds of people to flee their homes as it grew to 37 acres in size. This catastrophe was not from 100 years ago but started collapsing in 2012.

So what does this have to do with my local lake turning green? Lakes turn green when naturally occurring algae are fed a feast of agricultural runoff, improperly treated sewage, and residential fertilizers. These are the top three culprits anyway. Unfortunately, elected officials at the state and local levels have been relaxing buffer zones around lakes and streams that previously protected water from agricultural runoff.

Next time you are on a lake, take a look at the shoreline of lake homes and cabins and see how many have well-manicured lawns to the shoreline. The absence of buffer zones of natural vegetation again allows runoff to reach the open water and feed algae. Enforcement of buffer zones and shoreline setbacks, where they exist, have also become more lax.

When algae blooms go from a few days to weeks and months of pea green soup consistency, once again, communities start to take it seriously. Unfortunately, by then, it may take decades of hard work to clean up the mess once again. In more and more cases, toxic blue-green algae grows, which is deadly for animals and causes liver and nervous system damage in humans. We need to every day consider where our waste goes and how it is treated.

That is the next article I am writing. We also need to make environmentally sound choices in farming – to learn more about that, check out Episode #52 of Wimmer’s Wilderness Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts as we do a deep dive into agriculture. Individual property owners on lakes, streams, and rivers should allow natural vegetation to grow even if there are no regulations requiring it or if you have a slightly less breathtaking view of the water.

If you have a septic system, keep it maintained and have regular inspections done to prevent leakage. Talk to your local elected leaders and state legislators about positive regulation that ensure a safe and healthy environment for generations to come.

Listen to Wimmer’s Wilderness Podcast and help us spread the word by telling your friends, family, and heck even your frenemies that they can find us on iTunes, Spotify, Luminary, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, and Google Podcast, Tunein radio. To learn more, go to our website – wimmerswilderness.org.