Staceon
07/07/2000, 01:33 PM
Chemical assault being planned on nasty water in Eagle Creek Reservoir
Company hopes to start using substance with copper by July 18, but relief won't come soon.
By David Rohn
Indianapolis Star
July 7, 2000
The Indianapolis Water Co. plans to use a chemical to destroy Eagle Creek Reservoir algae blamed for foul tasting water in the utility's northwest service area.
But customers will have a lengthy wait before the musty taste and odor that has plagued their water for months is gone.
First there is a two-week public comment period before the Indiana Department of Natural Resources can act on a permit to apply 8,930 gallons of Cutrine-Plus in the reservoir, Barbara Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the company said Thursday.
That period expires July 18.
Then, to protect fish and other life in the reservoir from oxygen depletion caused by killing the algae, the chemical will be added to the reservoir in phases.
And even though algae should die quickly once the chemical is applied to the 7-billion gallon reservoir, Gwen White, a state fisheries program specialist, said it will take more time to flush out the chemical byproduct of the algae that causes the bad taste.
Meanwhile, White said the contaminant is just annoying, not harmful.
It certainly has bothered about 25,000 customers living north of 56th Street and west of Township Line Road whose drinking water comes from the reservoir.
Many have been buying bottled water since early May, when warm weather caused algae to bloom and produce the odorous chemical byproduct.
Sinclair said the taste and odor problems have varied for customers in the affected area because of blending water from other sources.
After the problem began, water from Eagle Creek Reservoir was mixed with water from White River to dilute the taste.
But with hotter temperatures, there has not been as much water to spare from White River, Sinclair said.
She added, "The blend varies from day to day."
The company had similar algae problems in Morse Reservoir after a drought in 1989. But Sinclair said only parts of Morse were affected, while all of the Eagle Creek Reservoir has been hit by the algae bloom.
Indianapolis Water officials hoped spring and early summer rains would naturally eliminate the problem. But with the reservoir full, and the problem lingering, officials are turning to chemical solutions.
Copper sulfate is the chemical historically used to fight algae. But IWC stopped using it because of concerns that copper builds up in lake, reservoir and river sediments after repeated use, harming aquatic life.
The chemical picked this time, Cutrine-Plus, contains copper. But it is more selective in what it kills than copper sulfate, White said. She does not believe the concentrations to be applied will harm fish, invertebrates or plant life.
White said she does not even think it will wipe out green algae, which does not cause taste problems but does help oxygenate the water and serves as a food source for aquatic creatures.
Richard M. Van Frank, an environmentalist who serves on the Eagle Creek Park Foundation, disagrees that the proposed solution will work.
"Basically, it's a dumb idea because it's not going to solve their problem unless they make repeated applications of it," he said Thursday. "Unless they have changed plans for applying it at such a level (as the permit specifies), it may well be toxic to fish and certainly will be toxic to other organisms in the food chain."
Van Frank also said Cutrine-Plus will kill more than one kind of algae.
He also said that even though the water company plans to apply it in reasonable concentrations, it will be harmful in areas when it initially is applied before it is diluted.
If the project is undertaken, Van Frank added, there should be continuous monitoring of fish and macroinvertebrates, and the water company should be liable for any environmental damage.
White said of Cutrine-Plus, "It's probably one of the safest, if not the safest, herbicide we use."
If it is used according to the label, swimming, fishing, drinking, livestock watering or irrigation are allowed immediately after treatment, she added.
White and Van Frank also differ somewhat over the cause of the algae problem.
According to White, although runoff of fertilizers and other nutrients in the Eagle Creek watershed play a role, she believes the algae exploded because of a warm winter that did not kill off certain organisms in the reservoir.
Drought also lowered water levels, concentrating nutrients and letting sunlight penetrate to the algae.
Van Frank says there are other causes besides weather -- mostly nutrients from fertilizers and other sources.
"If you cut out the nutrients," he said, "you're going to cut out the algae. It's a watershed problem."
Regardless, once the copper solution is applied to the reservoir, extra caution should be used with aquariums, said Michael Hicks, who works at The Reef, a tropical fish store.
Hicks said copper won't directly hurt the fish, but it may affect invertebrates, such as snails and crabs, and microorganisms that help clean the water.
The store always urges its customers to use water filtered by reverse osmosis that is sold at many pet stores and some groceries. But Hicks said at least half its customers use tap water.
Company hopes to start using substance with copper by July 18, but relief won't come soon.
By David Rohn
Indianapolis Star
July 7, 2000
The Indianapolis Water Co. plans to use a chemical to destroy Eagle Creek Reservoir algae blamed for foul tasting water in the utility's northwest service area.
But customers will have a lengthy wait before the musty taste and odor that has plagued their water for months is gone.
First there is a two-week public comment period before the Indiana Department of Natural Resources can act on a permit to apply 8,930 gallons of Cutrine-Plus in the reservoir, Barbara Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the company said Thursday.
That period expires July 18.
Then, to protect fish and other life in the reservoir from oxygen depletion caused by killing the algae, the chemical will be added to the reservoir in phases.
And even though algae should die quickly once the chemical is applied to the 7-billion gallon reservoir, Gwen White, a state fisheries program specialist, said it will take more time to flush out the chemical byproduct of the algae that causes the bad taste.
Meanwhile, White said the contaminant is just annoying, not harmful.
It certainly has bothered about 25,000 customers living north of 56th Street and west of Township Line Road whose drinking water comes from the reservoir.
Many have been buying bottled water since early May, when warm weather caused algae to bloom and produce the odorous chemical byproduct.
Sinclair said the taste and odor problems have varied for customers in the affected area because of blending water from other sources.
After the problem began, water from Eagle Creek Reservoir was mixed with water from White River to dilute the taste.
But with hotter temperatures, there has not been as much water to spare from White River, Sinclair said.
She added, "The blend varies from day to day."
The company had similar algae problems in Morse Reservoir after a drought in 1989. But Sinclair said only parts of Morse were affected, while all of the Eagle Creek Reservoir has been hit by the algae bloom.
Indianapolis Water officials hoped spring and early summer rains would naturally eliminate the problem. But with the reservoir full, and the problem lingering, officials are turning to chemical solutions.
Copper sulfate is the chemical historically used to fight algae. But IWC stopped using it because of concerns that copper builds up in lake, reservoir and river sediments after repeated use, harming aquatic life.
The chemical picked this time, Cutrine-Plus, contains copper. But it is more selective in what it kills than copper sulfate, White said. She does not believe the concentrations to be applied will harm fish, invertebrates or plant life.
White said she does not even think it will wipe out green algae, which does not cause taste problems but does help oxygenate the water and serves as a food source for aquatic creatures.
Richard M. Van Frank, an environmentalist who serves on the Eagle Creek Park Foundation, disagrees that the proposed solution will work.
"Basically, it's a dumb idea because it's not going to solve their problem unless they make repeated applications of it," he said Thursday. "Unless they have changed plans for applying it at such a level (as the permit specifies), it may well be toxic to fish and certainly will be toxic to other organisms in the food chain."
Van Frank also said Cutrine-Plus will kill more than one kind of algae.
He also said that even though the water company plans to apply it in reasonable concentrations, it will be harmful in areas when it initially is applied before it is diluted.
If the project is undertaken, Van Frank added, there should be continuous monitoring of fish and macroinvertebrates, and the water company should be liable for any environmental damage.
White said of Cutrine-Plus, "It's probably one of the safest, if not the safest, herbicide we use."
If it is used according to the label, swimming, fishing, drinking, livestock watering or irrigation are allowed immediately after treatment, she added.
White and Van Frank also differ somewhat over the cause of the algae problem.
According to White, although runoff of fertilizers and other nutrients in the Eagle Creek watershed play a role, she believes the algae exploded because of a warm winter that did not kill off certain organisms in the reservoir.
Drought also lowered water levels, concentrating nutrients and letting sunlight penetrate to the algae.
Van Frank says there are other causes besides weather -- mostly nutrients from fertilizers and other sources.
"If you cut out the nutrients," he said, "you're going to cut out the algae. It's a watershed problem."
Regardless, once the copper solution is applied to the reservoir, extra caution should be used with aquariums, said Michael Hicks, who works at The Reef, a tropical fish store.
Hicks said copper won't directly hurt the fish, but it may affect invertebrates, such as snails and crabs, and microorganisms that help clean the water.
The store always urges its customers to use water filtered by reverse osmosis that is sold at many pet stores and some groceries. But Hicks said at least half its customers use tap water.