BY MILES LAYTON
EDENTON — Colleen Karl of the Edenton-Chowan Environmental Group gave a presentation Tuesday to Edenton Town Council that suggested the organic source of the cyanobacteria blooms, after much research with Dr. Chris Osburn (NCSU) and Dr. Nathan Hall (UNC-IMS), may be more local in nature, flowing more from wetlands and swamps.
These blooms may be more natural in origin than man-made, especially since much of our region is covered with small streams. However, storm sewer runoff from leaky pipes and streets are contributing factors, adding to overall nutrients. Local action may be needed, such as conservation easements, to mitigate the algae blooms.
Awareness of blooms has increased over the past 10 years through educational efforts and NCDEQ monitoring.
Edenton-Chowan Environmental Group’s photos that accompany this story are from summer of 2024.
Citizens can report algal blooms and fish kills on the NCDEQ dashboard at: https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water-sciences/algal-blooms
Let that sink in for a moment – the cause of the green stuff appears to be local in nature, organic too. I remember a few years back when the algae was a problem, the mainstream media unfairly blamed farmers for the run-off. There was a big meeting in Edenton and farmers like John Layton defended farmers, saying that it’s not farm runoff, and that they care about the environment, particularly since they make their living from it. I wonder what else the media has gotten wrong?