WAYNE — Androscoggin Lake has had six algal blooms over the past 50 years, with four in the past five years. And last year’s bloom was the earliest and longest the lake has seen.
Researchers and community members are trying to figure out why.
Together, staff and volunteers from 30 Mile River Watershed Association and the Androscoggin Lake Improvement Corp. are conducting sampling, research and data analysis to determine what’s causing the increase and find long-term solutions.
Although the lake is not experiencing an algal bloom now, the organizations have one goal in mind: keep Androscoggin Lake healthy, safe and blue for years to come.
What is an algal bloom?
“There’s no smoking gun,” Lidie Robbins, executive director of 30 Mile River Watershed Association, said. “That’s why it’s requiring a pretty high level of scientific study to understand all of the factors.”
Algal blooms occur when a lake’s population of cyanobacteria, a type of algae, grows out of control, turning the lake murky and a distinct green or blue-green color.
Cyanobacteria exist naturally in lakes, but high nutrient concentrations, specifically phosphorous, can cause their populations to bloom.
Phosphorous levels in a lake can be affected by factors such as warming waters and stormwater runoff from the surrounding land. Phosphorous is found in soil, fertilizer, animal waste and septic systems and can be washed into the lake during rainfall.
Androscoggin Lake is the source of the Dead River, which connects to the Androscoggin River, but when the Androscoggin River floods, the Dead River can send massive amounts of water back into the lake, also potentially affecting phosphorous levels.
A bloom alters the color and transparency of the lake, and it has the potential to be toxic.
Experts say some species of cyanobacteria can release toxins that can harm people and animals who swim in the lake or use it as a water source. Even showering in water from a lake in bloom status could be dangerous, as the toxins could be inhaled through vapor or mist from the shower.
Dense blooms can also block out sunlight under the surface of the water, harming plants and animals who rely on it and disrupting the local ecosystem.
Previous blooms in Androscoggin Lake have lasted around five to eight weeks, but last year the lake was in bloom status for over 10 weeks, the longest ever.
With potentially harmful waters, normal lake activities are often halted during an algal bloom. Because it’s not immediately clear whether a bloom is toxic, it’s best to avoid water use and activities during a bloom as the conditions can change quickly.
Research and monitoring
Staff and volunteers with 30 Mile River Watershed Association and the Androscoggin Lake Improvement Corp. have increased their research and monitoring efforts to try to decipher which factors are most contributing to the blooms.
Sara York, water quality specialist for 30 Mile River Watershed Association, goes on the lake frequently with volunteers to monitor transparency, take dissolved oxygen and temperature readings and collect water samples to look at levels of algae and phosphorous.
Lowering a tool called a secchi disk into the water, York can monitor the transparency to determine algae levels. When she can’t see the disk in two meters or less of water — about 6½ feet — the lake is in bloom status.
The Watershed Association also recently launched a monitoring buoy that will provide more frequent data and readings. The buoy won’t replace the organization’s monitoring efforts, but it can notify the association if and when any big changes occur in the water conditions and help to update the public.
When the lake began blooming frequently, the two organizations coordinated to conduct a watershed survey, identifying sources of soil erosion and polluted runoff affecting the lake, and develop a Watershed Protection Plan.
Because of the numerous factors that can contribute to algal blooms, solutions for combating them are often specific lake to lake.
If the blooms are primarily caused by phosphorous production in the sediment, an aluminum sulfate treatment can be applied to lake. If the phosphorous is coming from soil erosion, landowners and towns can focus on fixing erosion issues, which often occur around roads.
“Every lake is unique,” Robbins said. “A solution that’s gonna work on one lake might not work at all on another lake, and so it’s really important before we can start looking at these solutions to understand where things are coming from.”
Community issue
Ted Tucci, president of the Androscoggin Lake Improvement Corporation, said that when the lake started blooming more frequently in 2021, it came as a shock to the surrounding community members who have deep attachments to the lake.
The 4,000-acre lake sits between Wayne and Leeds and is a large economic driver for both communities. Although the lake is relatively undeveloped, lakeside properties contribute nearly one third of the tax dollars in Wayne.
Youth summer camps also bring hundreds of children to the lake every summer, including Camp Androscoggin, one of the oldest camps in the state, and Camp Tekakwitha, a French-speaking camp.
“If this lake goes bad, it’s a resource that is not available to anybody in Maine,” Tucci said.
While scientific efforts are underway to understand the algal bloom problem, the Androscoggin Lake Improvement Corp., a nonprofit lake association dedicated to preserving and protecting the lake, is also focused on fundraising, education and outreach in the community.
“It took decades for it to get to where it became a problem, and you need to give people enough information so they understand it’s gonna take a period of time to identify and implement solutions,” Tucci said. “It’s not gonna happen overnight.”
In November, almost 100 people gathered for a community forum to hear updates about the research efforts and the path ahead. The Androscoggin Lake Steering Committee was also created, made up of eight people representing Wayne, Leeds, the Lake Improvement Corp., 30 Mile River Watershed Association, businesses, lakefront owners and lake users, to organize and coordinate efforts for the lake.
“This is not just a lake issue. This is a community watershed issue,” said Douglas Stevenson, a Wayne resident and co-chair of the committee. “Wayne and Leeds have got to work together to address this issue.”
The committee is also focused on fundraising and finding grants to help pay for and bolster research and potential solutions. As part of the Keep Androscoggin Lake Blue campaign, they even have a “keeping it blue” blueberry flavor of ice cream at Tubby’s Own Ice Cream in Wayne.
As the organizations move toward finding long-term solutions, Tucci said the community is optimistic.
“More and more people have come up to me … and said, ‘I really feel hope. I really feel like we’re on a good path and that we’re making progress,’” Tucci said. “And that’s the best you can hope for.”
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Sara Coughlin can be reached at scoughlin@metln.org.