Earlier this month, Lake Merritt experienced an algal bloom reminiscent of the red tide seen at the lake in 2022. Fortunately, the bloom dissipated. Since some of our supporters may not be familiar with red tide, we have included some bullet points below:
- Red Tide is caused by a group of phytoplankton called dinoflagellates.
- Dinoflagellates have red pigment used for photosynthesis.
- When concentrated in large numbers (algal bloom), the water appears red or rust-colored.
- Most red tides do not produce harmful toxins.
- Red tides can last for a few days or up to three months.We are relieved that this recent algal bloom only lasted two days, but it is important for us all to remain vigilant.
Since 2022, the City of Oakland and LMI has made critical improvements to Lake Merritt’s monitoring and aeration system: the installation of two aeration devices, one near the pergola and the other underwater near Harrison and Grand Ave; and the installation of three water monitoring buoys, one paid for by LMI donors, sending continuous data to an interface you can access from lakemerrittinstitute.org.
Staff from EBMUD visited Lake Merritt because they read about the algal bloom in The Oaklandside. They took water samples and measured chlorophyll levels. EBMUD is starting a new initiative to study and mitigate nitrogen in East Bay waterways.
Bravo, East Bay Municipal.
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