White Lake has experienced algae blooms in recent years, and the Town of White Lake has been working to identify why the changes have occurred and what can be done to improve the health of this unique resource that is a critical part of our community and our regional economy.
The Town has been working with lake scientists to understand the causes of the algae blooms as well as assessing the declines in the lake’s lifeblood—its groundwater source.
The algae blooms are essentially controlling the entire lake system. The pH levels have continued to rise, and last week reached levels of 9 and above for sustained periods. This is a threshold of criticality for fish that can prove to be lethal, as we have unfortunately seen.
It is important to understand the ways in which the lake is unique, and one of the most important facts in understanding this system is the very low alkalinity of the water. There is little to no buffering capacity to moderate pH increases.
The only way to control pH increases in White Lake—and we must—is to continue what is already underway—remove nutrients and algae from the water with the alum treatment. We have seen no extreme pH levels in recent days, due to the effects of the treatment and the weather conditions. Things will only continue to improve as more of the treatment is completed.
Please continue to visit the web site: www.whitelakealum to stay up to date on treatment progress.