Menomin/Tainter made the Pioneer Press
Quote:
Lakefront property would be cherished by most, but for some in Menomonie, Wis., it has become a curse.
Two lakes in the area — Menomin and Tainter — are experiencing their worst blue-green algae blooms in recent memory. The result is a stink that some say can stretch for several city blocks.
“It’s awful,” said Carol Hake, who has made the Lake Menomin lakefront her home since 1963. “We have to keep our windows closed. We can’t even go to out in our back yard.”
But the stench isn’t the only concern. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has seen an upswing in reports that the lakes’ algae blooms are causing health problems among those living nearby.
“It can really be an irritant,” said Department of Health Services spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis. Allergylike symptoms — a sore throat and watery eyes — are the most common complaints from residents being affected by the algae, but it potentially can cause other health troubles, including skin rashes, gastrointestinal problems and even liver damage.
There have yet to be any complaints to the Department of Health Services this year of serious illness in humans from the algae, but it has been linked to the death of a dog in Menomonie, said Marquis, whose department collected air-quality samples Thursday to look at the algae particles in the air.
The Department of Health Services recommends that people and pets stay out of lakes affected by blue-green algae. Breathing the dried
algae particles that get into the air can cause problems for some people, but drinking water contaminated with blue-green algae can lead to the more serious health issues.
“People complain of getting sick, but I don’t think they realize it’s the lake,” said Robyn Morin, president of the Tainter-Menomin Lake Improvement Association. “It’s been the elephant in the living room.”
Linda Lawrence, who lives on Tainter Lake, said she contacted the Department of Health Services after getting a scratchy throat.
“I felt like I was breathing air products that weren’t healthy,” Lawrence said. Standing at Wolske Bay, one of the most affected parts of Lake Menomin, she said, “I feel like I have moss on my tonsils.”
This is not the first time Lake Menomin and Tainter Lake have been infected by blue-green algae; it’s a recurring problem. Phosphorus from the watershed gets into the lakes, which serve as a drainage area, and feeds the algae, said Ken Schreiber, water quality specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Schreiber believes the late summer’s dry, sunny conditions have made the algae problem particularly nasty this year.
“You’ve got all the conditions,” Schreiber said. “It’s just been the perfect storm.”
Bryan Zehrt, a resident of Iowa City, Iowa, has been fishing on Lake Menomin for about 40 years. In all that time, he said, this is the worst he’s ever seen the algae bloom. It doesn’t cause him health issues, but it does make the fishing a lot harder, he said, pulling in a fishing boat from the lake Thursday after an afternoon without a catch.
“You have to pretty much hunt for clear water — today, that was a chore,” Zehrt said.
While Menomonie residents are hoping someone can step up and quickly do something to get rid of the algae, they may have to wait until something is done about the amount of pollutants being released into the watershed, said Schreiber.
“As much as people would like to hear there is a short-term solution, I just don’t think there is one,” he said. “The long-term solution is reducing phosphorus.”
Andy Rathbun can be reached at 651-228-2121.
more than a few times 
