Toxic Algae at Geist Reservoir (Indiana)

By John Tuohy / From The Indianapolis Star

An environmental expert told a gathering of about 75 waterfront residents this morning there is no magic potion for ridding the Geist Reservoir of toxic algae that has bloomed there this summer.

Geist visitors were warned three weeks ago to avoid swimming in the water or swallowing it when waterskiing. The algae produces a toxin that could cause skin rashes, cramps, nausea, diarrhea and, in rare cases, liver damage.

"Only colder temperature and a lot of rain will immediately change the conditions," said Lenore Tedesco, director of the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at the Indiana University/Purdue University-Indianapolis.

Though there are no short-term solutions, Tedesco said the way to avoid future algae outbreaks is to reduce the amount of fertilizer used on their lawns. The phosphorous-rich pesticides cause algae growth when rainwater runs it into the reservoir.

"Everyone has a responsibility to be very, very conservative with fertilizer use," Tedesco said, urging the residents to form a watershed-wide plan to cut down of fertilizers.

Tedesco spoke at the Indianapolis Yacht Club in a meeting arranged by State Senators Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, and Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield. State Rep. Brian Bosma R-Indianapolis and state health and environmental officials also attended.
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I used to go to this lake - 30 years ago before people were allowed to build houses all around it. No problems, then, of course.

More reasons for people to have natural landscaping. The hummingbirds are loving my backyard wildflower project. No fertilizers, no pesticides.

Seems like someone would want to talk to people who run the golf courses in the watershed - in addition to the homeowners. Seems like perhaps some laws should be passed regulating fertilizers and such.

... Golf maintenance operations use significant amounts of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides (more, acre-for-acre than farms in some cases), which can contaminate nearby lakes and streams as well as local groundwater.

A typical golf course uses about a half ton of chemical pesticides each year, at least some of which runs off into nearby groundwater sources. With nearly 20,000 courses now in operation across the United States and Canada, such problems affect just about every community from coast-to-coast...