by Peggy Blackman who is a coordinator for the Kansas WRAPS program

Blue-Green Algae Bloom at Marion Reservoir which is located in the Grand Lake Watershed[Photo Courtesy of Peggy Blackman]

Protecting water quality is serious business that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Polluted waters can affect the quality of your life. I and citizens in my community know first hand what happens when your reservoir waters become polluted to the point of concern about public health risks.

Yes, it can also harm your local economy and businesses. I want to share with you the Marion Reservoir story. It’s about what can happen when excessive amounts of nutrients enter your steams, rivers, and lakes. We became the “poster child” for blue-green algae outbreaks.

Marion Reservoir, completed in 1968, is located near the headwaters of the Cottonwood River in Marion County Kansas. Marion’s 200 square mile watershed is part of the Grand Lake watershed. Marion Reservoir is a United States Corps of Engineer lake under the supervision of the Tulsa District Corps of Engineers. (Map)

Marion Reservoir provided flood control for the Cottonwood River Basin, but it is also, an important economic resource for the people of Marion County. The picturesque setting of Marion Reservoir is an open invitation to the more than 350,000 visitors that enjoy excellent opportunities for fishing, swimming, hunting, camping, hiking, boating, skiing and other recreational activities. It is the public water source for three cities of Marion County: Hillsboro, Marion and Peabody and potential rural water districts. Most of the ground water in the county is not potable.

In June of 2003 a phenomena occurred to the waters of the reservoir that caused the shut down of the two water treatment facilities in the county, Hillsboro and Marion, and closed the swim beaches and other recreational water activities. It was the first occurrence of heavy concentrations of blue-green algae.

It started innocently with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers noticing the waters of the reservoir were clearer, for that time of year, than what was expected. The waters of the reservoir turned a beautiful turquoise green like the pictures you see on a travel brochure. Usually, because of heavy spring rainfall events and strong southerly winds the reservoir turbidity (sediment & other particles in the water) levels are high.

The Corps notified the community water treatment facilities of what was occurring when certain areas of the reservoir showed this different form of blue-green algae on the surface and nearing the water intake for both cities. The cities notified state and federal entities about the phenomena looking for answers to potential public health concerns. Numerous meetings were held seeking answers. It was determined the blue-green algae bloom (cyanobacteria bloom) emitted toxins when it died.

Because of the fear of the unknown the water treatment facilities elected to discontinue drawing water from the reservoir even though it was not required by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Local and state media grabbed the story of the crisis. Marion Reservoir was the top story on most 6:00 p.m. news shows for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Television camera crews were seen on a weekly, if not daily basis and community leaders, corps rangers and others found cameras and microphones in their faces. Possible solutions to prevent the blue-green algae bloom came from everywhere with one sent from Australia. But there really was no feasible action that could be taken. The mounting pollution pressures had brought us to this point.

Marion had an alternate public water source with a deteriorated infrastructure. Hillsboro had nothing. Marion transported water from a smaller lake approximately 2 miles from the city for 10 days until repairs to the infrastructure could be completed. Hillsboro transported water from a city 35 miles away for 5 weeks. The cities began drawing water from the reservoir again when it was learned activated carbon added to their treatment process could help in removing the potential toxin from the finished water going into their public systems. Because of the additional expense of adding activated carbon and the need to update their water treatment facility, Marion built a $1.84 million water treatment plant. Hillsboro decided to continue the use of activated carbon in their treatment operation, to remove toxicity levels.

To this date there has not been a fish kill on the reservoir caused by the blue-green algae. The Corps posted signs on the swim beaches warning the public about the existence of the blue-green alga and provided flyers explaining the possible health concerns ingestion of the lake water might cause. Even to this day, warnings to the public are posted at Marion Reservoir.

What caused the phenomena and could we see a re-occurrence? High concentrations of phosphorus attached to the sediment in the lake were perfect for the abundant growth of the blue-green alga. Atmospheric conditions were perfect, very little wind, abundant sunlight combined with the presence of high concentrations of phosphorus.

Experts said Marion Reservoir is Eutrophic, meaning excessive amounts of nutrients, cause high levels of organism productivity. This makes Marion subject to algae blooms. Heavy concentrations of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) have occurred every summer through 2006, and minor concentrations occurred during the summers of 2007, 2008 and 2009. July 2008, it is suspected that 3 dogs drank water from the reservoir and died. The dogs were examined by Kansas State University School of Veterinary. It was not conclusive the water from the reservoir was the cause of death. There was a small outbreak of blue-green algae when this incident occurred. Water bodies around the world have experienced the same outbreak causing health concern and in some instances death to animals and people. It was not something to be dismissed and precautions were taken.

Now what is happening at Marion Reservoir? The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has classified the reservoir as a “High Priority TMDL Lake” because of the high levels of phosphorus. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that load among the various sources of that pollutant. The reservoir is completely eutrophic. Nutrients of phosphorus and nitrogen are attached to the sediment that flows into the lake from the 200 square mile, 132,000-acre watershed. Of the 132,000 acres, 40,000 acres are designated as “highly erodible” and the erosion continues.

In Kansas, we have a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) program which is involved in improving our water quality. In 2003 a voluntary program of agriculture related Best Management Practices began to help reduce nutrient and sediment flow into Marion. We now are in the 6th year of this program which also includes educational activities. Over $1 million in federal, state, and local county taxes, and farmers and ranchers dollars have been spent to decrease the sediment and nutrients reaching the reservoir.

In 2007 Marion Reservoir WRAPS project received additional funding through the Kansas Water Office, Kansas Water Plan, to begin base line data collection of the watershed and reservoir. Marion County Commission saw the need for protecting the water quality of the reservoir for present and future economic growth. They have provided $150,000 in matching nonfederal funds to conduct the ongoing data collection and study.

Through the Marion Reservoir WRAPS project and its partners, water quality monitoring, conducted by Kansas State Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, began in 2007 and continues. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, through a Fish and Wildlife federal grant, are conducting a “rough fish” removal and study, removing the over-population of buffalo and carp, hoping this will help water quality. Kansas Biological Survey has conducted taste and order studies, sediment core and release of nutrients back into the water column surveys to establish data of the reservoir.

They also conducted a bathymetric survey in 2008. The last survey was conducted in 1982. The bathymetric survey results showed less sediment had entered the reservoir since its construction than what was originally thought, thus extending the life of the reservoir. The Watershed Institute has conducted a 2-year study on the potential of stream bank erosion contributing to the sediment and nutrient load of the reservoir. The study indicated very little stream bank erosion was occurring, but heavy woody debris in and around tributaries was critical and could create a problem in the future.

The implementation of Best Management Practices and data collection needs to continue, but with the growth of the WRAPS Program in Kansas and budget constraints, less funding is available. That hinders our efforts to reduce our risks from future algae blooms in Marion.

Water is not a renewable resource. Without water quality protection and water quality conservation what will the future hold? What happens in the headwaters directly affects water quality and quantity occurrences downstream. Everyone lives in a watershed.

How important is protecting your water quality? Our Marion Reservoir Story is one illustration of how important it is. Protecting your water quality requires a collective effort by citizens; local, state, federal governments; community leaders; and all watershed stakeholders. Failure to protect your water can have bad consequences.