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| Fish Kill Likely a Result of TS Edouard Winds |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fish Kill Likely a Result of TS Edouard’s Winds Galveston, Texas August 6, 2008 Between 1,000 and 2,000 menhaden fingerlings succumbed to low dissolved oxygen levels in Lake Madeline yesterday. A large algal bloom began to develop in the lake late last week. After examining water samples, scientists from Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) determined it was a cyanobacterial bloom consisting mostly of Microcystis sp., which is known to produce toxins that can lead to fish kills. At the time, lake conditions appeared to mimic those in 2005 when an earlier menhaden kill was recorded. Last week, surface water dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were measured between 13 and 15 mg/L, whereas, at two meters below the surface DO readings had dropped to about 2.5 mg/L DO. As expected, abundant sulfide was noticed in the surface water near the SolarBee. Yesterday, TAMUG professor Dr. Gilbert Rowe noticed the lake's center had taken on a peculiar 'yellowish green' color, indicating a column change. Flocks of birds arrived on the lake's western portion suggesting a possible upwelling of bottom water. "As the surface was pushed east toward the center by wind, it was replaced by deep bottom water. Tropical Storm Edouard brought steady 20 to 30 knot wind from the west to northwest which likely caused the water column to turnover bringing the low oxygen, perhaps even sulfidic, water up to the surface," noted Deputy City Manager Brandon Wade. "This upwelling stifled the menhaden fingerlings. Strong winds can be expected to turn the water over - this was no one's 'fault'," Dr. Rowe added. Last July the city installed a SolarBee, a machine that improves water quality by increasing circulation, to boost the dissolved oxygen level in the deeper waters of Lake Madeline. Drawing lake water up through a deepwater cylinder, the device spreads it across the lake's surface exposing the water to sunlight and air. This helps to prevent eutrophication (over enrichment of water bodies by nutrients) and low dissolved oxygen levels, two key culprits of fish kills and algae blooms. "We will continue sampling Lake Madeline, with the assistance of the Environmental Institute of Houston (University of Houston-Clear Lake) and Texas A&M University at Galveston, to evaluate lake conditions. We've taken steps to improve the lake's water quality and we will keep working with the neighborhood to prevent this from happening again," Wade stated. ### |
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