GREEN ALGAE on Conneaut Township Park beach, and other county beaches, doesn't present any danger to swimmers or sun bathers. WARREN DILLAWAY / The Star Beacon
Published July 11, 2006 07:23 am -
Algae in Lake Erie do not look nice, but not dangerous
Invasion of the green muck
Star Beacon
By MARK TODD
Staff Writer
mtodd@starbeacon.com
Theyre green and gooey, but the Lake Erie algae coating the Ashtabula County shoreline during recent days pose no health threats to swimmers, officials said Monday.
Water treatment is another matter, however. An extra step or two is needed to make the water smell and taste - - well, like water.
The algae are seasonal visitors, dredged from the bottom of the lake when conditions are right.
"Its basically seaweed that is going through a natural decomposition process," Mick Szabo, environmental health inspector for Ashtabulas health department, said Monday.
The green stuff is not connected to the virus that killed thousands of yellow perch this spring, officials said. Swimmers wont get sick splashing in the muck, Szabo said.
"Its more aesthetics," he said. "Some people dont like getting it in their hair."
Algae appear periodically during the year, especially when the lake is relatively calm for several days, officials said.
"We can get algae in the winter," Bill Dingledine of the American Water Co. said.
The goo seems to be most prevalent in the summer, said Harry Runnion, Conneaut water treatment plant superintendent.
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