From the city’s website…
C
rystal Lake is experiencing an algae bloom. The visibility of the water has declined to less than 3ft. Because of this, Crystal Lake will be closed until further assessment is made by the State. We will be monitoring this situation and will post changes to the status here as soon as decisions have been made.
Where’s Gail? The 2nd sentence sounds like they can’t see the lake.
@Hoss: Visibility is the measure they use to determine the seriousness of the bloom.
This happened several years ago and the lake did not reopen that season.
Actually, Hoss is correct. Reading the sentence literally, as it is written, “The visibility of the water has declined to less than 3ft,” would mean that Crystal Lake can no longer be seen from a distance greater than three feet. I haven’t visited Crystal Lake in awhile but I suspect that it is still visible, regardless of algae bloom.
Do they know what is causing the algae bloom or why it’s worse some years than others?
Fertilizer (among other things) run-off following a big rain storm (as we had this weekend) is often a contributing factor.
If the algae are swimming in an unapproved location, hopefully we can at least have them fined. Scofflaws one and all.
On previous threads related to this topic, I’ve stated repeatedly that the environmental impact from storm water runoff dwarfs any potential environmental impact from swimmers. Well… there ya go!
For any aquarium hobbyist, you quickly learn that algae blooms with light, warm water, lack of circulation and nutrients. Leave your swimming pool in the hot sun for a week without chlorine and you’ll get an algae bloom there too. If it is blue-green algae, then I understand that can be quite toxic to humans and animals too so folks might want to keep the pups out of the water.
@Lisap, I heard from city staff that this is the kind of algae that does indeed make humans and animals sick, so don’t let your dogs drink or play in the water. Also, apparently it doesn’t matter what kind of fertilizer you use on your lakeside lawn, i.e., organic, chemical, etc.; they all can cause algae blooms when there is a runoff from a good rain (like we had last week).
Are there open street drain outlets in the lake similar to what I see in my neighborhood going into the Charles?
@Hoss – I think there are 5 to 7 storm drains that empty into the lake. You can probably see a couple from either of the two coves. There is not one near the swimming area since the State has some regulations on the proximity of drains to swimming areas.
Groot Gregory – 5 or more outlets into a pond is kind of shocking. Recall that this pond was named “Crystal Lake” to brand ice by a commercial establishment many decades ago. A City that doesn’t like the temporary noise pollution of a leaf blower, spewing neighborhood runoff to avoid a sewage fee is perfect inconsistency for us.
@Ted – Thanks for that update. I wasn’t aware that it had been confirmed as blue-green algae.
Correction- Ted did not say “blue-green” algae – that was my interpretation/possible misunderstanding.
(I must never blog before my 2nd cup of coffee)
@Lisap, I don’t know what kind of algae it is,but I was told that it could make dogs sick.
I just received this press release from the Newton Department of Public Health:
Has any one asked the Crystal Lake Conservancy about this issue? They have focused on water quality in the lake and should have some knowledgeable comments on this issue.
Alderman Brian Yates