Mysterious Yellow Scum... Not So Mysterious<
If you went to the beach on June 19, you might have seen this – yellow scum floating on the surface of the lake. The Coastal Centre has received several inquiries about it, and had some concerned folks send us photographs, which were very helpful.
The timing was a main clue in figuring out what it was. This yellow film is an early summer phenomenon, most visible during the month of June floating in large masses and accumulating along shorelines and beaches of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.
(Photo of yellow material floating on the lake surface, taken north of Grand Bend.
Yellow pollen from area conifer tress, like Cedar and Pine, can be blown onto the
lake's surface.This often occurs in early summer.)
The scum is conifer tree pollen and can sometimes be mistaken for algae or spilled paint or petroleum.
It isn’t harmful and is not a risk to health.
Pollen from evergreen trees usually appears yellow. Deciduous trees produce a pollen that tends to be sandy brown or gray. The pollen is blown onto water from surrounding woodlands by high winds. It then drifts, trapping floating algae and other aquatic debris. The accumulation of material that reaches the shoreline can be smelly when it decomposes. The pollen eventually decomposes or becomes trapped in the sediment along the shore.
The extent of the pollen on the lake surface this June was quite large (we had reports from Grand Bend to Point Clark, as well as from the shores up toward Tobermory). Occurrences of pollen are typically more localized, so the large geographic area made us wonder if it was something else. The Centre reported the occurrence to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, whose staff were initially concerned it may be a blue-green algae outbreak. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, has become common on Lake Erie, and its toxic properties caused the City of Toledo to shut down its water supply two summers ago.
If there is a concern that such an occurrence on Lake Huron is a cyanobacteria bloom (with risk of toxins), samples may be collected by trained personnel for rapid identification of the blooming algae and toxin analysis. You can check first with the Coastal Centre, but if you are sure of a blue-green algae outbreak, you can report to the provSpills Action Centre (1-800-268-6060) who will activate the algae protocol for dealing with such occurrences.
More on Blue-green Algae.
(Article by Geoff Peach, Coastal Resources Manager)
Waukesha Diversion Decision
In June, a decision was finally made on the request by the City of Waukesha, Wisconsin to take about 8 million gallons (30 million litres) of water from the Great Lakes, to replace its current water supply. Waukesha is the first jurisdiction outside of the Great Lakes watershed to apply for permission to take Great Lakes water. We covered this topic in our March 2016 edition of E-news.The City was ordered by the U.S. federal government to find a new source of clean water, as the groundwater they were drawing from was polluted with high levels of radium, a naturally occurring substance in that area. While one option was to treat the water to remove the radium, they opted to look to Lake Michigan as their first choice.
The Centre provided comments to the Province of Ontario on the matter, suggesting that Waukesha had viable options for their water supply, other than drawing from the Great Lakes. While Ontario doesn't have decision-making authority on this matter, it does play an advisory role.
In the end, the Great Lakes States decided to approve the diversion of 8 million gallons per day, but with restrictions.
- the eight Great Lakes states Governors agreed that Waukesha’s diversion application, as submitted, failed to meet the standards of the Great Lakes Compact; and
- the Compact Council placed significant conditions on the approval, which appears to have improved the proposal’s compliance with the Compact;
- 100% of the water diverted from Lake Michigan to Waukesha will be returned to the Great Lakes Basin, resulting in no net loss of water to the lakes as required by the Compact.
Cities like Waukesha that are in a county that straddles the basin divide are eligible to apply for a diversion, but only as a last resort. Far-flung communities with no connection to the Great Lakes watershed are prohibited from even applying for a diversion. While we believe that Waukesha has a reasonable water supply alternative, we understand that the Regional Body and Compact Council saw that issue differently.
More on the diversion issue.
G2G
The Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail, or G2G, is a 127 km train right of way abandoned in 1988 and currently under re-development as a highly accessible public recreational trail for non-motorized use (walking, hiking, running, cycling, snowshoeing and skiing). G2G is currently raising money through crowd funding to make improvements to this trail to make it fully accessible. You can help out at https://www.tilt.com/tilts/guelph-to-goderich-rail-trail
So Hot
We all know that the sun provides us with much needed Vitamin D. But we also know the importance of moderation. You should never get overheated while at the beach. Here is our 4-step process for sun safety.
- After a few minutes of sun on the beach, go up to the cottage and pour a glass of your favourite cold beverage;
- Sit down in a nice shaded area on your deck, or under a tree;
- Grab your chequebook and make a donation to the Coastal Centre;
- Sit back, relax, and know that you are now the coolest person for giving to the cause of Lake Huron conservation.