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 By JENNIFER TANGEMAN
Staff Writer
Few people exhibit an enthusiasm about historical artifacts as Jim Bowsher does.
When crews working for G.A. Wintzer and Son Co. started working to build new office space on West Auglaize Street, they came across some interesting finds where a rental home had previously sat.
Jim Kent and others of Kent Surveying began finding pieces of artifacts. They called in local history buff, Bowsher, to try to figure out what the bits and pieces meant.
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Sunday, 24 May 2009 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — Lab results on water samples taken from Grand Lake St. Marys show levels of an algal toxin are more than four times the level considered to be low-risk by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Officials at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Friday released lab results of five samples taken Wednesday from Grand Lake St. Marys. The samples show levels of microcystin, commonly found in the presence of blue-green algae, to be in the range of 48 to 82 micrograms per liter. The WHO has set a level of 20 micrograms per liter as low-risk to humans.
“From the field tests we did, which were estimates, we thought it would be lower than it is,” Ohio EPA spokesperson Dina Pierce told the Wapakoneta Daily News Friday afternoon. “I think this does validate the decision we made yesterday (Thursday) to alert people and provide information to them.”
The toxin has been known to cause diarrhea and vomiting if ingested, and skin rashes, sore throats, runny noses and allergic reactions if water vapors are inhaled. EPA officials drew samples from the lake after the results of a national lake survey conducted in 2007 showed elevated levels of the toxin.
“We’ve never looked for this toxin before,” Pierce said. “We just did this study and when we asked for Ohio’s numbers we found it.”
Officials plan to monitor the lake weekly during the summer months, Pierce said. While the lake does contain algae, Pierce said the presence of the toxin is not a given and levels could fluctuate on a weekly basis.
“There is a possibility this level could drop,” Pierce said. “Sometimes it (algae) produces it and sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t think any of the researchers know why — that’s why it’s important to monitor it.”
A shallow body of water that contains runoff from agriculture fields and failing septic systems makes the lake a ideal site for algae growth, Pierce said.
“The lake being so shallow, it warms up fast and it’s responds like a normal plant,” Pierce said. “Give it water and nutrients and it will grow — so will algae.”
Pierce said EPA officials do not have similar results from Lake Loramie or Indian Lake. As far as she knows, Pierce said Grand Lake St. Marys is the only lake in Ohio to have elevated levels of the toxin.
“We are new to handling this topic and that’s why we wanted to err on the side of caution and inform people,” Pierce said. “The conditions may have been present for years and people just weren’t looking for it or it may not have been there.”
The EPA stopped short of telling people to avoid the lake, Pierce said. Instead, Pierce stressed common sense when entering the lake, or any other non-chlorinated body of water.
“Things like boating and fishing, there is minimal risk,” Pierce said, “but if you are swimming and water skiing, contact with the water is a bigger risk.”
To learn more about the toxin, Pierce said Ohio EPA officials held a conference call with members of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as well as various experts in the field.
“It’s just in the last month when this one number jumped out that our staff went to work doing research,” Pierce said. “We are consulting as many experts to make sure we are doing the right thing. We are taking this very seriously and want people to be aware.”
St. Marys Safety-Service Director Tom Hitchcock said he is concerned the reports could impact tourism at Grand Lake St. Marys.
“They are saying you can fish and boat, but only time will tell,” Hitchcock said of the possible impact. “Our concern is it didn’t occur overnight. These levels most likely have been in the lake for quite a while.”
Hitchcock said the news should prompt area residents to develop ideas to prevent further algae growth in the lake. If not, Hitchcock said the lake could lose its tourism appeal — a location that generates more than $40 million in revenue for the region.
“I think if this region wants to have a lake we can do recreational activities on, everyone needs to come together to fix this,” Hitchcock said. “If we don’t, it looks like it could be a destination no one wants to be at.”
Auglaize County Health Department Environmental Health Director Marvin Selhorst said there has always been an algae problem at Grand Lake St. Marys.
He said he believes the issuance of an advisory came as a result of new guidelines established by the WHO.
“They are probably doing what the Word Health Organization is recommending them to do,” Selhorst said. “I can see someone getting sick and that they knew about this and didn’t share the information so they are sharing it. I know some people will probably panic. I don’t think there is any reason to panic.”
Selhorst said pet owners should be prevent their animals from drinking lake water. While it could cause a human to get sick, Selhorst said excessive amounts of lake water could be fatal to animals.
“It is probably something you would have to ingest a lot of as far as the neurotoxic effects,” Selhorst of illnesses from the lake water. “Dogs probably have more to worry about it than anything. Dogs love to drink water and swim, so I would be more concerned about my pets and little children.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 May 2009 )
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