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What’s In My Lake?
Rick Sullivan
ICE OUT! March 14
th
That’s right, ice out on March 14
th
.
Can you believe that? Now we can get an early start on summer and boating on the lake. But...
WHAT’S THAT GROWING IN MY WATER?
Early ice out also gives an early start for evasive plants to take root in the lake. Over the years the
Lake Association has done a spectacular job clearing the lake of milfoil; but we may now have a new
evasive species blooming.
In recent years, reports of new algae, “metaphyton”, has been reported in increasing abundance in
Maine lakes as reported by the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP).
Metaphyton is a green, stringy, filamentous algae that grows in shallow areas of the lake. These
colonies of algae vary in size and may move around with changing waters as it does not attach to the
lake bottom.
Though the exact cause and effect of the algae growth in the lake has not yet been officially determined,
contributing factors such as groundwater runoff containing phosphorus and nitrogen have been found
to contribute to the growth of other types of algal blooms. The VLMP is expanding efforts to gather
information on the algae growth and its effects
What can you do?
Please do not use fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus. Protect the lake by stopping ground
water runoff. If you have pets, scoop up your pet’s waste immediately. We all can contribute to
maintaining the health of our lake by being more vigilant about protecting our lake.
If you live in a shallow water area, keep a look out for this cloudy invader. You can take pictures and
report your sightings to the Lake Association. The VLMP is also looking for volunteers to monitor the
metaphyton algae. You can contact the Lake Association or VLMP for further details.
For more information on metaphyton algae, visit VLMP’s website:
http://www.mainevlmp.org/volunteer-info/other-monitoring-opportunities/metaphyton/