Army Corps researchers launch study on Lake St. Clair's algae 'muck'

Harrison Township — The Army Corps of Engineers began collecting samples of a form of algae known as Lyngbya from Lake St. Clair on Thursday as part of a study to determine how the bacterium grows and whether it poses health risks.

The bacteria form algae mats hundreds of feet wide and thick enough to stand on along the lake shore in Harrison Township and have been colloquially referred to as "the muck" since 2010.

The Army Corps has teamed up with Macomb County to fund the two-year, $400,000 study. Congressman John James, R-Farmington Hills, Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller, County Commissioner Barbara Zinner and Board of Commissioners Chairman Don Brown shared their observations at a news conference on the shores of the lake after touring areas with Lyngbya mats and watching the first collection of samples.

Lyngbya grows in freshwater lakes and rivers, and large growths have taken over entire marinas on Lake St. Clair. Residents often complain that the mats smell like rot in the summer and report that the algae mats grow back after attempts to remove them.

"Many places have, whether they're private or public, been cleaning this stuff up. ... It's back again so quickly," Miller said. "We obviously don't understand this very well, what it is and what's causing it, what do we need to do."

The researchers will focus on previous work in the area and understanding what is causing the growth of the algae in the first year, said Alyssa Calomeni, an Army Corp research biologist based at the Engineer Research and Development Center in Mississippi. They also will assess potential risks associated with the bacterium, including taste and odor compounds and toxin production, she said.

The researchers will then move on to develop a plan to try to manage the growth of Lyngbya, Calomeni said. She has worked with Lyngbya, specifically in Alabama, and said managing the algae growth will likely involve a combination of strategies.

"With really diligent adaptive management, there is something that can be done," Calomeni said. "... So you monitor the algae and then implement a specific strategy that has been tested, either in the laboratory or piloted out in the field."

Researchers also plan to study aerial images of larger lake areas to determine the full scope of the bacterial growths, Calomeni said.

Property values are plummeting as the Lyngbya mats encroach farther out on to the lake, said Zinner, a Macomb County commissioner who represents Grosse Pointe Shores, Harrison Township and most of St. Clair Shores.

James fondly remembered swimming in the lake and enjoying its beaches as a child. He said he hopes his children will have that same opportunity.

"This (bacteria) is what's taking up our boat launches. This is what's gonna be hurting our fishing, our boating," James said. "We need to get to the root cause of this because it's not only about the boating, the recreation and the housing values, we're taking kids' childhoods away."

Boaters should take care to check and clean their vessels and propellers after boating in an area with Lyngbya mats because they may be transporting the bacteria to other local lakes, Calomeni said.

Miller has said she considers sewage to be a cause of the Lyngbya mats and worked to limit combined sewer overflow discharge into Lake St. Clair.

Some research suggests that nitrogen and phosphorus, which are present in wastewater, could stimulate the growth of cyanobacteria, Calomeni said. The Army Corps research group will be looking into that, she said.

hmackay@detroitnews.com