Williams County monitoring, combating blue-green algae through new buoy devices

WILLISTON, N.D. (KUMV) - Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, is a toxic substance that can appear in lakes across North Dakota. The Williams County Parks Department is using new devices to help monitor cyanobacteria growth in one of its parks.

Parks Director Jeremy Ludlum says they’ve placed three LG Sonic Buoys at Epping-Springbrook Dam, which has had cyanobacteria the past five years. The buoys, which were purchased through a grant last year, block sunlight from reaching the algae blooms, limiting growth. Ludlum says he’s seen a notable difference, but it’s going to take time to completely remove the threat from the dam.

“I think it’s working. Is it making the lake crystal clear? Nope, but I think it’s doing its job. I think there’s a lot of nutrients in there and we just got to work through that,” said Ludlum.

Ludlum says farming runoff is the main cause of the blooms in that particular spot. Sunlight, warm, and slow-moving water also help the bacteria grow.

Epping-Springbrook is under an advisory for blue-green algae, meaning it’s present in portions of the water body.

Cottonwood Lake in Williams County is under a warning, meaning there are significant amounts of blue-green algae blooms. Ludlum says they also work with the Upper Missouri District Health Unit and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality to monitor the lake.

More information on harmful algal blooms can be found here.