Blue Green Algae Press Release
Blue-Green Algae Bloom in Lake Belle View
On August 9, 2022 Village staff identified Blue-Green algae bloom in Lake Belle View. Staff has posted notices at villageofbelleville.com and on social media. Additionally, signs have been posted around the shorelines and berm access to the lake. Recreational use of the lake is discouraged until the bloom subsides.
The conditions are strikingly similar to the bloom that happened on August 23, 2021. The previously dry conditions (heat and direct sunlight) combined with the rain flushing fresh nutrients (specifically nitrogen and phosphorus) into the lake. This creates ideal conditions for Blue-Green algae blooms. These blooms are best dealt with by closing recreational use of the water until the bloom has abated.
Blue-green algae are naturally occurring in all Wisconsin lakes, and weather conditions are normally ripe from mid-June until mid-September. There isn’t an effective way to manage these blooms once they occur. Mitigating the underlying conditions that lead to blooms is the best control method. This is an incremental, long-term commitment involving erosion control and minimizing nutrient runoff. Even once that is accomplished, large amounts of nutrients remain in the sediment at the bottom of the lake that can support Blue-Green algae populations.
The DNR has advised the aerators in Lake Belle View are designed to lift water and create currents to open up a hole in the winter time ice to allow atmospheric gas exchange and boost dissolved oxygen. In the summer time, there is open water and plenty of gas exchange. Running the aerators isn’t likely to greatly help nor hinder the dissolved oxygen content of the lake at this stage.
Please see the links below for more information from the DNR on Blue-Green algae blooms.
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/lakes/bluegreenalgae
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/water/bg-algae/index.htm
For more information, please contact the Village of Belleville at (608) 424-3341.
