Lakes across the country are struggling with harmful algal blooms, low oxygen, and declining fish populations. While these problems are often obvious at the surface, many management practices are based on misconceptions that don’t address the real causes. Instead of solving the issue, they often make lakes even sicker. Chemical Treatments: A
Bioengineering is defined by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as “using a combination of native planting and natural, or biodegradable materials to provide shoreline protection.” It also is often referred to as softshore engineering or lakescaping. Many shorelines use seawalls. These are a hard surface, such as wood, metal or concrete, that is installed
Amphibians are highly sensitive to changes in their environment, especially when it comes to water quality. As such, they can serve as excellent indicators of the health of aquatic ecosystems, providing valuable insights into the state of the environment and potential problems that may be affecting the water quality. Amphibians are unique creatures that have
More than 85% of the world’s oyster reefs have been lost since the 1900s, through over-harvesting of the species, increased coastal development, destruction of wetlands and increased water pollution. Oysters could one day be the answer to the complex question of how to protect California’s disappearing coastline. While a project to restore oyster populations is
A new study maps the potential of wetlands – an ecosystem flooded with water and supporting a vegetation of aquatic plants – to improve water quality. Through the study, the researchers claim that regrowing wetlands can act as a key strategy for improving water that is laden with contaminants like nitrate. Nitrates reach groundwater, rivers,
In southwest Minnesota, the Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District is tagging and tracking carp in an effort to find out where they congregate in the winter. The data is hoped to reveal the potential for a wintertime seining event. Lake Okabena has two to three times more carp than a healthy lake should have. It’s been determined
The water of Hamilton Harbour in Ontario, Canada, has been used and abused over the decades, as sewage water and industrial by-products have flowed into the port since the 1800s with devastating consequences for the harbor’s flora and fauna. Today, treated sewage water, which isn’t fully cleansed of algae-causing nutrients, is still released into the
As algal blooms flourish on the edges of the Great Lakes, lake management bodies look to cut down the flow of nutrients into the water that feeds the algae. But, as a recent report by the International Joint Commission explains, not all parts of the lakes suffer from too many nutrients — in fact, the
In its second year of operation at Black Hawk Lake in Iowa, the Aquatic Vegetation Harvester cut through some very dense underwater foliage this summer and removed an estimated 265 dump truck loads from the lake. The Aquatic Vegetation Harvester is part of the community’s lake project which is striving to increase Black Hawk Lake’s
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