What are the health effects of the cyanobacteria on the people living near the lake?
Luckily, the strain that has invaded the lake was found to be not as toxic as we first thought. However, it does cause rashes and, when it is in its more lively stages, makes the water unusable for human consumption in a place where it is the only option. It has also taken a toll on the fish that are an important part of the local diet. Do you feel any progress is being made in terms of confronting the bacteria blooms? Honestly, so far there has been a lot of talk, but not very much action by the authorities. The job that they need to do is large (they need to put sewer systems or septic tanks in several of the bigger towns), and the local technical savvy is pretty sparse in that area. That’s why we have dedicated our project to getting some simple information about what the common man needs to do to eliminate the problem. Until the levels of phosphorus and nitrogen that are entering the lake are drastically lowered, there is no magic solution. What needs to be done to halt the influx
