A Lake Erie Twofer: Tiny Plastic Particles and Toxic Algae Threaten Lake Waters

A Lake Erie Twofer: Tiny Plastic Particles and
Toxic Algae Threaten Lake Waters
June 23 2014
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This webinar is brought to you by the Lake Erie Binational
Forum, and hosted by the Ohio Environmental Council.

Lake Erie Binational Forum Introduction
By Teresa Hollingsworth, Lake Erie Binational Forum Co-facilitator From The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms (CHABs): Facts, Fiction and Fixes:
By Dr. Sue Watson, Research Scientist, WHERD, Water Science and Technology, Environment Canada.
Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast and Monitoring
By Dr. Jeffery Reutter, Director Ohio Sea Grant College Program - F.T. Stone Laboratory, Center for Lake Erie Area
Research and the Great Lakes Aquatic Ecosystem Research Consortium
Challenges Water Treatment Plants Face To Ensure We Have Safe Drinking Water:
By Andy McClure, Administrator, Collins Park Water Treatment, Toledo, OH
Great Lakes Plastic Pollution Survey
By Dr. Sheri Mason, Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at SUNY Fredonia
A Lake Erie Twofer: Tiny Plastic Particles and
Toxic Algae Threaten Lake Waters
Presentations

The Lake Erie Binational Public
Forum
Nearly Two Decades of Action

Who we are…
The Forum is a group of
interested stakeholders
from Canada and the
U.S., including farmers,
business people,
scientists, educators,
anglers, boaters,
environmentalists,
governmental officials,
public health workers and
others.

What the Forum has Achieved…
• Playing a significant role in
the LAMP process with real
involvement and proactive
initiatives
• Increasing stakeholder
participation in the LaMP
process
• Implementing, facilitating
and/or participating in
Forum sponsored LAMP
related activities at the local
level

The Lake Erie Binational Public Forum
To learn more visit
www.lakeerieforum.org
Join the Forum Listserv to receive notices about
events, news, science and announcements
relevant to Lake Erie.
To Join Our Listserv
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Co-Facilitator Adam Rissien:
arissien@theoec.org

OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY
Lake Erie HAB
Forecasts and Monitoring
Dr. Jeffrey M. Reutter
Director, Ohio Sea Grant College Program

Jeffrey M. Reutter, Ph.D., Director
•1895—F.T. Stone Laboratory
•1970—Center for Lake Erie Area
Research (CLEAR)
•1978—Ohio Sea Grant College Program
•1992—Great Lakes Aquatic Ecosystem
Research Consortium (GLAERC)
•Grad student at Stone Lab in 1971 and
never left. Director since 1987.
8

•Sedimentation
•Phosphorus and nutrient loading
•Harmful algal blooms
•Western, Central, and Eastern Basin Differences
•Different problems in different lakes (possibly more
difficult than Lake Erie)
•Aquatic invasive species
•Dead Zone—exacerbated by nutrients
•Climate Change—Makes the others worse
Lake Erie’s
Biggest Problems/Issues

OSU’s Island
Campus

Image: Ohio Sea Grant
Southernmost

Shallowest and Warmest

Photo: Ohio Sea Grant
Discuss 3 Basins & Retention Time

80:10:10 Rule
•80% of water from upper lakes
•10% direct precipitation
•10% from Lake Erie tributaries
•Maumee
•Largest tributary to Great Lakes
•Drains 4.5 million acres of ag land
•3% of flow into Lake Erie

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Superior Michigan Huron Erie Ontario
Residential Cropland Pasture Forest Brush/Wetland
Major Land Uses in The Great Lakes

Because of Land Use, Lake Erie Gets:
•More sediment
•More nutrients (fertilizers and sewage)
•More pesticides
•(The above 3 items are exacerbated by storms,
which will be more frequent and severe due to
climate change.)
•And Lake Erie is still biologically the most
productive of the Great Lakes—And always
will be!!!

Lake Erie:
2% of the water and 50% of the fish
Lake Superior:
50% of the water and 2% of the fish
50:2 Rule
(Not exact, but instructive)

Lake Erie: One of the Most Important
Lakes in the World
•Dead lake image of 60s and 70s.
•Poster child for pollution problems in this
country.
•But, most heavily utilized of any of the Great
Lakes.
•Shared by 5 states, a province, and 2
countries.
•Best example of ecosystem recovery in world.

June 22, 1969
Lake Erie wasn’t always the
Walleye Capital of the World

Blue-green Algae Bloom circa 1971,
Lake Erie
Photo: Forsythe and Reutter

What brought about the rebirth
(dead lake to Walleye Capital)?
•Phosphorus reductions from point
sources (29,000 metric tons to 11,000).

Major Sources of Phosphorus
•Lawn fertilizer—going down
•Sewage treatment plants and CSO’s
•Non-point source runoff from urban
•Non-point source runoff from
agriculture
•1970s—2/3 poor sewage treatment
•Today—2/3 agricultural runoff

•Normally limiting nutrient in freshwater
systems
•P reduction is best strategy ecologically
and economically
•Reducing both P and N would help
Why did we target phosphorus?

Impact of Ecosystem Recovery (rebirth)
•Ohio walleye harvest 112,000 in 1976 to over 5
million by mid-80s
•34 charter fishing businesses in 1975 to over
1200 by mid-80s and almost 800 today
•207 coastal businesses to over 425 today

• Reference Dose =
amount that can be
ingested orally by a
person, above which a
toxic effect may occur,
on a milligram per
kilogram body weight
per day basis.
Toxicity of Algal
Toxins Relative
to Other Toxic
Compounds
found in Water
Dioxin (0.000001 mg/kg-d)
Microcystin LR (0.000003 mg/kg-d)
Saxitoxin (0.000005 mg/kg-d)
PCBs (0.00002 mg/kg-d)
Cylindrospermopsin (0.00003 mg/kg-d)
Methylmercury (0.0001 mg/kg-d)
Anatoxin-A (0.0005 mg/kg-d)
DDT (0.0005 mg/kg-d)
Selenium (0.005 mg/kg-d)
Alachlor (0.01 mg/kg-d)
Cyanide (0.02 mg/kg-d)
Atrazine (0.04 mg/kg-d)
Fluoride (0.06 mg/kg-d)
Chlorine (0.1 mg/kg-d)
Aluminum (1 mg/kg-d)
Ethylene Glycol (2 mg/kg-d)
Botulinum toxin A (0.001 mg/kg-d)
Toxin Reference Doses

•1 ppb WHO drinking water limit
•20 ppb WHO swimming limit
•60 ppb highest level for Lake Erie till 2011
•84 ppb highest level for Grand Lake St. Marys
till 2010
•2000+ Grand Lake St. Marys 2010
•1200 Lake Erie Maumee Bay area 2011
Microcystin Concentrations

Impacts of Increased Phosphorus
Concentrations
•HABs—If P concentrations are high
(regardless of the source, Ag, sewage, etc.)
and water is warm, we will have a HAB
(nitrogen concentration will likely determine
which of the 7-10 species bloom)
•Nuisance Algae Blooms
• Cladophora—Whole lake problem. An attached
form.
• Winter algal blooms
•Dead Zone in Central Basin

11 years of satellite data provide bloom
extent
Data from
MERIS 2002-2011,
MODIS 2012
high
medium
low

Are HABs only a Lake Erie and
Ohio Problem?
•Serious problem in US and Canada
•21 states and Canada in 2012
•Global problem
•Chaired Loadings and Concentrations
Subcommittee for Ohio P Task Force
•Now US Co-Chair of the Objectives and Loadings
Task Team of Annex 4 (nutrients) Subcommittee
of GLWQA
•Weather can determine how we experience a
bloom

Photos: Jeff Reutter
Microcystis, Stone Lab, 8/10/10

Photo: NOAA Satellite Image
October 9, 2011

Microcystis, Stone Lab, 9/20/13

Spring (Mar-June) discharge
relationship for seasonal
prediction. 2013 bloom was much
higher than any of the models
would predict (2012 was only
slightly higher, note the log scale).
observed
modeled
Stumpf cyano-index for each year
with Model result and predictions
for 2012 and 2013.
2013 was severely
underestimated.

Current Forecast
•Based on Heidelberg measurements of
Maumee River discharge and P loading 1
March – 30 June
•Rick Stumpf’s model (ground truthed by Stone
Lab)
•Tom Bridgeman’s Maumee Bay nutrient and
HAB measurements and Justin Chaffin’s
Western and western portion of Central Basin
measurements

Possible Reasons for Underestimate
•Cool spring temperatures
•High P load in July
•High load of nitrogen preventing
summer nitrogen limitation
•So many Microcystis cells on the lake
bottom now from previous blooms that
it is easier for a bloom to occur.

What was different in 2013?
SRP (m.tons) in July.
2003, 2008, 2013 were high,
One possibility, 2003 and 2008 had
cold June < 20 degC, not optimal
for cyano growth. 2013 had
optimal June temp of ~21 degC.
2013 June temp was also “normal”
(No difference in July.)

2013 prediction for western Lake Erie:
similar to 2003, <1/5 of 2011, 2X 2012
low medium high
Concentration
2013 may resemble 20032011 for comparison

9/14/13

October 12, 2013
R. Stumpf, NOAA National Center for Coastal Ocean Science

2013
• Only blooms in 2011 and 2013 extended well into October.
• Toxins appeared in treated drinking water in 2013.
• Carroll Treatment Plant shut down—bottled water
• Toledo and Erie Co. say can’t guarantee safe drinking
water in future
• No national or state guidelines on algal toxins—but may
be coming
• Meris vs. Modis Satellite Limitations
• Greater recognition of of their role by agriculture
community, but clearly not enough action.
• When nutrients leave fields they are pollutants.

Target Loads to Solve Problem
•Leading subcommittee of the Ohio
Phosphorus Task Force to identify
both spring and annual target loads
of both total P and DRP (Reutter
comment) to prevent or greatly
reduce HABs
•Target is 40% reduction (Ohio Lake
Erie Task Force, 3/14/13)

Expect Rapid Recovery in Lake Erie
•Due to rapid flush out rate
•Lake Erie = 2.7 years
•Western Basin = 20-50 days
•Other Great Lakes could be over 100 years

2014 Loading Data:
thoughts on this
summer and fall

01-Mar 01-Apr 01-May 01-Jun 01-Jul 01-Aug
Cumulativespringdischarge(km
3
)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Range
Mean
2011
2012
2013
2014
Cumulativespringdischarge(km
3
)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
2011
2003
2008
2010
2009, 2013
MEAN, 2004
2007
2006
2005
2012
2.89
2.66
2.31
Maumee River at Waterville
Discharge
March 1 - July 31
2014 as of May 1st
Data from the USGS, collated by the National Center for Water Quality Research
NOTE: The mean and range (minimum to maximum) is for 2000-2013,
numbers in the bottom panel indicate current value (red), and the mean for June 30 and July 31 (black)

CumulativespringTPload(metrictons)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
2011
2003
2008, 2009
MEAN
2013
2010
2006
2005
2012
CumulativespringTPload(metrictons)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Range
Mean
2011
2012
2013
2014
2004, 2007
Total Phosphorus
March 1 - July 31
2014 as of April 25th
Data from the National Center for Water Quality Research
NOTE: The mean and range (minimum to maximum) is for 2000-2013
1099
1034853

CumulativespringDRPload(metrictons) 0
100
200
300
400
500
2011
2003
2008
2010
2009
MEAN
2007
2006
2005
2012
CumulativespringDRPload(metrictons)
0
100
200
300
400
500
Range
Mean
2011
2012
2013
2014
2004
2013
Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus
March 1 - July 31
2014 as of April 25th
Data from the National Center for Water Quality Research
NOTE: The mean and range (minimum to maximum) is for 2000-2013,
227
207
216

Climate change is making these
problems worse!
•Warm water increases oxygen depletion rates
•More severe storms will resuspend more sediment
and increase erosion and nutrient loading
• Critically important point—with no changes in Ag practices,
warmer weather and increased frequency of severe storms
could increase negative impact of existing practices.
•Lake levels—uncertain/probably down
•Warm water favors HABs

Nutrient Loading
•Majority of loading occurs during storm
events
•80-90% of loading occurs 10-20% of time
•2012 = dry spring and low load—a very
good thing!!

High spring P loads Long water residence time

Increased Frequency of Rainstorms
Changes in frequencies of storms in the Midwest, by category of storm size for five decades, 196
1970 through 2001-2010. Labeled changes are for the last decade. Comparisons are to frequenci
in 1961-1990. Source: Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense
Council.

Stone Lab: Reducing Our
Environmental Footprint
•Solar thermal on Dining Hall
•Solar panels on new pavilion and Lab roof
•Low-flow toilets
•Low-flow shower heads and faucets
•Compact fluorescent light bulbs or LEDs
•Attic insulation
•4-cycle outboard motors
•Improved sewage treatment
•Terraces to reduce runoff

Sustainable Energy Production

Solar Pavilion

Solar Thermal on Dining Hall

Stone Lab: Improve facilities and
capabilities to address issues
•Stone Lab
•Research Building
•Water quality laboratory
•Research Vessels and equipment
•Research Coordinator
•Education and Outreach Coordinator
•Aquatic Visitors Center
•REU program

Workshops
•Algal identification
•NOAA Science Literacy
•Dealing with
Cyanobacteria, Algal
Toxins and Taste and
Odor Compounds
•Outdoor Photography
•Lake Erie Sport Fishing
•Fish-Sampling
Techniques

Research Vessels
(+Buckeye)

Sea Grant Research Projects
• Beneficial reuse of dredged material in manufactured soil blending: Economic/logistical and performance
considerations
PI: Elizabeth Dayton, Ohio State University
• Impacts of climate change on public health in the Great Lakes due to harmful algae blooms
PI: Jay Martin, Ohio State University
• Should nitrogen be managed in Lake Erie? The potential role of nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteri
PI: Darren Bade, Kent State University
• Leveraging natural amenities for sustainable development in the Great Lakes region
PI: Elena Irwin, The Ohio State University
• Source tracking and toxigenicity of Planktothrix in Sandusky Bay
PI: George S. Bullerjahn, Bowling Green State University
• Mapping drain tile and modeling agricultural contribution to nonpoint source pollution in the western Lake Erie
basin
PI: Kevin Czajkowski, University of Toledo
• The role of nitrogen concentration in regulating cyanobacterial bloom toxicity in a eutrophic lake
PI: Justin Chaffin, Ohio State University
• Delivery of sediment amendments using far-field ultrasound
PI: Linda K. Weavers, Ohio State University
• Relative contributions of hypoxia and natural gas drilling to methane emissions from Lake Erie
PI: Amy Townsend-Small, University of Cincinnati

Outreach Activities
•22,000 visitors to Aquatic Visitors Center
•Media Coverage
•403 articles from 158 different publications/venues
in 2013 about our programs
•Stone Lab Workshops
•Twine Line Articles
•Personal speaking engagements
•Over 50 last year

Stone Lab 1 or 2-Day Workshops
• 10 July, NOAA HAB Press Conference, Science Cruise and Webinar
• 23 July, USDA Rural Development State Directors from twelve
Midwest states
• 24 July, Ohio Farm Bureau Group
• 24 July, REU Presentations
• 14 & 15 August, 2 groups of Michigan farmers
• 18-19 August, Science Writers 2-day workshop
• 20 & 26 August, Coastal County Commissioners, Mayors, and
Decision Makers Day on Lake Erie
• 25 August, Ohio Charter Captains
• 27 August, Indiana Farming Leaders
• 5-7 September, Annual Open House (approx 1,200 visitors)

For more information:
Dr. Jeff Reutter, Director
Ohio Sea Grant and
Stone Lab
Ohio State Univ.
1314 Kinnear Rd.
Col, OH 43212
614-292-8949
Reutter.1@osu.edu
ohioseagrant.osu.edu
Stone Laboratory
Ohio State Univ.
Box 119
Put-in-Bay, OH 43456
614-247-6500

Challenges Water Treatment Plants Face to Ensure
We Have Safe Drinking Water
Andrew McClure
Collins Park Water Treatment Plant
City of Toledo
June 23, 2014

Agenda
The Problem
Plant and process overview
Individual processes and algae
Alternatives
Challenges

The Problem
As algal cells die or are oxidized, they
lyse.
Toxins are released.
Toxins are highly soluble in water.

Lysis (Greek λύσις, lýsis from lýein "to separate")
 refers to the breaking down of a cell, often by viral, enzymic, or
osmotic mechanisms that compromise its integrity. A fluid
containing the contents of lysed cells is called a "lysate".
 Many species of bacteria are subject to lysis by the enzyme
lysozyme, found in animal saliva, egg white, and other
secretions.[1] Phage lytic enzymes (lysins) produced during
bacteriophage infection are responsible for the ability of these
viruses to lyse bacterial cells.[2] Penicillin and related β-lactam
antibiotics cause the death of bacteria through enzyme-
mediated lysis that occurs after the drug causes the bacterium to
form a defective cell wall.[3] If cell wall is completely lost, the
bacterium is referred as a protoplast if penicillin was used on
gram-positive bacteria, and spheroplast when used on gram-
negative bacteria.

Removal
Filtration- Filters designed to
remove toxin are prohibitively
expensive
Adsorption- Adsorptive media
must be removed
Oxidize - Break down toxins into
non-toxic forms

Once Lysed, the toxins must be
removed or destroyed…
Ideally the algae cells are
removed before they lyse.
Treatment similar to taste and
odor control

Collins Park WTP History
 1941 – All treatment at WTP. Alum coagulation and
Chlorine oxidation/disinfection
 Chloramination, discontinued
 1956 – Lime Softening at the WTP
 1966 – Powdered Activated Carbon at the LSPS
 1979 - Chlorine Dioxide at WTP
 Ferrous Coagulation at WTP, discontinued
 ~1990 – Sodium Hypochlorite, seasonal, at Intake Crib
 ~1999 – KMnO4 , seasonal, at Intake Crib
 2009 – On-shore KMnO4, year round, applied at Crib

Process and Algae
Intake Crib – Oxidation
Application of KMnO4
Efficacy is limited.
Oxidizes the toxins, but fed in excess
will lyse cells, releasing more toxin.
Balancing act. KMnO4 application rate
is increased only slightly during algae
blooms.

Process and Algae
LSPS – Adsorption
 Apply Powdered Activated Carbon
 Adsorbs toxin, as well as many other organic compounds.
 Carbon is easily removed by downstream treatment
process.
 Feeding excess carbon has no ill effect on the treatment
process; however, it is a very expensive chemical

Process and Algae
WTP – Coagulation
 Most effective on non-lysed cells.
 Alum dose has to be increased.
 Most cells settle to the bottom of the
settling basin.
 Dead cells will eventually lyse, releasing
toxin.

Process and Algae
WTP – Sedimentation
 During algae blooms the frequency of
withdrawal of settled material must be
increased.
 Limits age of dead cells thereby reducing
number of cells lysing while still in basin.
 Additional cost associated with increased
chemical feed and increased pumpage
associated with more frequent settled material
removal.

Process and Algae
Filtration – Rapid Sand
 Our filters are not designed for toxin removal.
 Filter backwash frequency must be increased.
 Sedimentation process does not remove algae
cells that are floating.
 Algae that floats through the process makes it to
the filters, die and lyse.
 Results in additional pumping costs.

Process and Algae
Clearwell Storage
 Chlorine oxidizes toxins, reducing them to non-
toxic forms.
 Increasing chlorine application rate must be done
with care
 The non-toxic organic compounds formed by
oxidation of the toxins result in trihalomethane
(THM) precursors
 Could result in elevated THM levels

Other Treatment Options
Alternative oxidizers
Dissolved Air Floatation
Granular Activated Carbon
Membrane Filtration

Challenges
Monitoring
Test is complicated, time-consuming and
requires several hours to provide results
Pigments can be monitored, but
correlations to Microcystin
concentrations have not been identified
Chlorination to oxidize algal toxins may
increase THM formation potential

What would help?
Rapid accurate test method.
Reduce phosphorous load in Lake Erie.
Keep new phosphorous out of the lake.

Great Lakes
Plastic Pollution
Survey
Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason
SUNY Fredonia
Chemistry/Environmental Sciences

I just want to say one word to you.
Just one word. PLASTICS.
- The Graduate, 1967

 Modeled after natural polymers
 Created to replace the (over)use of natural materials
 Moldable, Light-weight, Durable
 Synthetic polymers

Source:
PlasticsEurope,
Plastics – The Facts 2013
1967:
25 million tons

INDIAN OCEAN
NORTH PACIFIC
SOUTH PACIFIC
SOUTH ATLANTIC
NORTH
ATLANTIC
5 Subtropical Convergence Zones

Lake Huron sample with plastic film from a cigarette pack

Photos courtesy of Brendan Bannon

Extrapolate
Particles per Square Kilometer
(Plastic Abundance)

Insert Map of
Expedition Route

2012 GREAT LAKES PLASTIC POLLUTION SURVEY
0.355―
0.999mm
1.000―
4.749mm
> 4.75mm
0.355―
0.999mm
1.000―
4.749mm
> 4.75mm
Fragment 247,106.5 123,906.2 11,219.8 21,385.9 28,127.8 3,502.4
Film 3,943.5 1,332.2 4,006.1 95.1 743.4 688.3
Foam 54,340.9 18,208.4 1,810.5 5.3 40.4 12.9
Pellet 430,029.8 5,614.1 420.9 5.3 40.4 12.9
Line 1,328.9 2,571.9 449.0 255.2 1,298.3 2,077.5
count/km2
736,749.6 151,632.9 17,906.3 21,745.4 31,010.4 6,281.3
% of total 81% 17% 2% 37% 52% 11%
Abundance of plastic pieces (count/km
2
) by type and size
Great Lakes NASG

POSSIBLE SOURCE OF MICROPLASTIC SPHERES

Sources
• Consumer Products
– Exfoliating Microbeads
− Photodegradation of larger plastic items

Photo courtesy of Brendan Bannon

0.355―
0.999mm
1.000―
4.749mm
> 4.75mm
Fragment 3,356,920.6 1,586,137.1 127,199.3
Pellet 920,457.4 78,815.0 4,999.6
Fiber/Line 119,116.3 94,004.7 67,245.2
Film 41,419.4 61,030.4 31,772.5
Foam 72,501.5 136,444.3 18,028.9
count/km2
4,510,415.2 1,956,431.5 249,245.6
% of total 67% 29% 4%
Abundance of plastic pieces (count/km2)
by type and size
• Combined Data – 2012 & 2013

Visual courtesy of Chelsea Rochman

Visual courtesy of Sierra Club – Delaware Chapter

 Wastewater Treatment Plants
 Food Web Study
 Stream Sampling
 Sediment Analysis
• Current Projects

 Susan Gateley
 Hannah Farley
 Nick Williamson
 Ghadah Aleid
 Morgan Smith
 Rachel Ricotta
 Parker Fink

Photo courtesy of Brendan Bannon
Questions?

A Lake Erie Twofer: Tiny Plastic Particles and Toxic Algae Threaten Lake Waters

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