Over the years there have been many changes in the Allegheny River, and one recent change has caused concern in the area.
“The river is full of algae,” said Steve English, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a former scientist with the Department of Defense.
“Many boaters and kayakers were shocked to find the river full of this algae. It could pose a significant problem for the area,” English said.
Not only the use of the river but the river itself has changed. “The amount of grass in the river has changed. You never had grass in the river before. In July the sun hits the river and up comes the grass,” he said. “That is a problem.”
One change often leads to another.
“We never had geese before,” said English. “If they came at all they were migrating. Now it seems everyone has a problem with resident geese. It has a tremendous effect on the river. They proliferate and they have to defecate. The shallow water is just lined with goose defecation. That nutrient has an impact on the river.”
“When you put all of these changes together, it makes it hard to nail any one thing down. There is an increase in phosphorus and nitrogen that goes in the river from farming and animals defecating in the river,” he said.
English said the algae is possibly, to a lesser degree, the “manifestation of climate change.” He said the river is lower because we are not having hard winters. “We haven’t had solid ice on the river for years,” he said.
“The water temperature in the river is higher because the water is lower and the sun is getting to the bottom and then you have an algae bloom problem,” he said.
English said things that exist on the bottom of the water, like bugs and crawfish, will be affected by this algae. “It blankets the bottom of the river. When it breaks down it produces its own toxins. Algae is the type of material that E.coli can get into. In some lakes the E.coli has gathered on dried up algae and then you have problems,” he said.
English said that at Presque Isle in Erie the algae is “all over the bay but not in the lake.”
Dr. Steven Mauro of Pennsylvania State University did a study on the effect of temperature and phosphorus influenced the E.coli growth in Lake Erie beach waters at Presque isle State Park.
“As part of previously funded Pennsylvania Sea Grant initiatives, we have determined that the nuisance algae Cladophora can harbor very high levels of E. coli,” said Dr. Mauro. “This can pose a serious health risk to recreational swimmers who might come into direct contact with this algae.”
Dr. Mauro said the Cladophora can serve as a source of E. coli contamination to the beach waters in which it resides, thereby indirectly putting beachgoers at risk of getting ill and contributing to the beach closings observed at Presque Isle State Park.
He stated the previous monitoring efforts by many laboratories have identified phosphorus levels and water temperature as the two main factors that mitigate Cladophora abundance in Great Lakes beach waters. Dr. Mauro concluded that the health risk that Cladophora has in recreational waters on any given day, irrespective of Cladophora abundance, remains unknown.
“My degree is in biology and when I was in the Army I did a lot of work in the ecology and water sciences,” said English. “I think we have to pay more attention to it,” he said. “There is an economic impact and a recreational impact. I think someone should study this problem.”
“I would like to see the river stay clean. We need to try and find the cause. I would hate to see what will happen if we lose the river,” said English.
