Over the last couple of weeks I have received e-mails and phone calls from lake residents and boaters about grass in the lake and sometimes questions about the gooey and stinking stuff that is showing up in the lake water and around shorelines. Both Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair have recently seen the appearance of multiple types of grasses in the water.

I met with Georgia Power this past week and I also discussed the ongoing grass problems with a Georgia Wildlife Resources Fisheries Biologist to get a better understanding of what their investigations have found, identifying the types of grasses in the lakes and what might be causing the sudden appearance of those grasses.

The two lakes have always had water willow grass, which I term as good grass due to its benefit to the lake and the fish and other inhabitants that live in the lake. Water willow has been about the only significant grass growing in either lake for many years. Water willow is native to the Oconee River system and was present prior to the construction of Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair.

Over the years several other types of bad grasses have shown up from time to time in the lakes. Some of those bad grasses have been worrisome to Georgia Power due to their propensity to spread in the lake if allowed to exist. Most of those grasses are invasive plants and not native to the United States.

Some of those bad grasses can cause serious problems if not dealt with in a timely manner. Georgia Power has treated areas in the lakes where bad grasses have been found to exist to eliminate them before they could take hold and expand.

Where does the grass come from? Grass can be brought to the lakes via boat trailers that were used in other lakes containing the grass, by people dumping their aquarium contents including fish and plants in the lake, by amateur biologist who mistakenly think they are helping the lake by intentionally placing grasses in the lake and even nature itself are all examples of how bad grasses can suddenly appear in the lakes.

Recent reports of various grasses in Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair are likely due to a combination of all of the above examples. However nature and the environment have likely been responsible much of the grasses that have been showing up over the last few weeks.

Reports from anglers and property owners have mostly been concerned about various forms of algae. Those algae naturally occur and from time to time over the years they have appeared in small quantities in both Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair. This year has seen an explosion of blue green algae in the lakes.

You can see the algae in the water so if you have seen a green/blue tint to the water that is from an algae bloom. There are many types of algae in the water and when a combination of light (carbon dioxide) and nutrients (nitrogen) are just right you can have a large algae bloom and that has been occurring in both lakes. Georgia Power has taken samples of the algae growing in the lakes and had it analyzed and the results have shown the algae are not toxic.

However, whether you are fishing or swimming it can make for a mess on your line/lure or on your body. Some of it also smells awful once it begins to decay and most folks would just rather not have to deal with the stuff.

No one has been able to pinpoint exactly why there has been an explosion of algae over the last few weeks, but most ideas have to do with rainfall being the culprit. Algae blooms usually occur when a large amount of nutrients enter the water and then combine with sunlight.

With all of the rainfall that has fallen in this area, you can see how those nutrients have entered the lake in abundance. The large amount of rainfall has increased runoff from fertilized lawns around the lake and increased nutrient rich water from tributaries that feed into the lakes.

Those conditions are believed to be responsible for the various grasses flourishing this summer. Hopefully the algae will begin to dissipate when weather conditions change.

Other types of grasses other than the algae that have been found recently in the lakes include parrot feather, duck weed, pond weed, Naiad and a particularly worrisome grass named Brazilian waterweed. All of those grasses are identified as non-native invasive plants. Those have been found in various places within the lakes and are not naturally occurring like the algae.

If you have questions about the grass growing in your area of the lake or want more information about the on-going grass problems call the Georgia Power Land Management Office at 706-485-8704. See you next week.

 

Bobby Peoples can be reached by e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.