Hamilton Reef
07-11-2007, 09:40 PM
ERIE, Pa. --The smell of rotting algae is fouling the city's shoreline, and may carry health hazards beyond a bad odor.
A county health inspector confirmed that algae, called cladophora, was causing the smell as it washed ashore and rotted, said Doug Range, environmental health director of the Erie County Department of Health.
The smell isn't the only problem. The rotting algae often contain high amounts of E. coli, a bacteria found in water that is fouled by human waste, and could also be a breeding ground for avian botulism. As a result, Range said residents should avoid walking through the rot.
The cladophora algae has grown in the lake for decades, but there's more of it now because zebra mussels that have infiltrated the lake are clearing it of plankton, which allows more sunlight to penetrate the water. The sunlight helps the algae grow and, along with it, the chances that the shoreline will stink, said Eric Obert, an environmental specialist with the Pennsylvania Sea Grant program.
A county health inspector confirmed that algae, called cladophora, was causing the smell as it washed ashore and rotted, said Doug Range, environmental health director of the Erie County Department of Health.
The smell isn't the only problem. The rotting algae often contain high amounts of E. coli, a bacteria found in water that is fouled by human waste, and could also be a breeding ground for avian botulism. As a result, Range said residents should avoid walking through the rot.
The cladophora algae has grown in the lake for decades, but there's more of it now because zebra mussels that have infiltrated the lake are clearing it of plankton, which allows more sunlight to penetrate the water. The sunlight helps the algae grow and, along with it, the chances that the shoreline will stink, said Eric Obert, an environmental specialist with the Pennsylvania Sea Grant program.