Lake Mattamuskeet algaecide project put on hold pending litigation - WRAL News

Lake Mattamuskeet algaecide project put on hold pending litigation

A district judge has put a pause on a project that would use pesticide to control algae at Lake Mattamuskeet, a wildlife refuge known for its migratory birds.

Lake Mattamuskeet has been a troubled ecosystem for nearly a decade due to overgrowth of toxic algae called cyanobacteria.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality approved a pilot study of the BlueGreen Water Technologies treatment starting in June as a collaboration between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The study area accounted for 1% of the surface area of the lake, which is more than 40,000 acres.

Lawyers with the Southern Environmental Law Center are pursuing litigation, arguing the study could harm waterfowl and that there wasn't an adequate study of the environmental impact. A judge paused the use of the treatment after a federal hearing.

“We are relieved that the funding has been at least temporarily pulled and the plans to apply the toxic chemical have paused," said Ramona McGee, senior attorney and leader of The Southern Environmental Law Center's Wildlife Program. "We’re still fighting in court to ensure that progress on the experiment doesn’t resume while the lawsuit plays out. There is no need to rush into this risky experiment with this toxic product at bird sanctuary.”

The product, Lake Guard® Oxy, is labeled by the EPA as toxic to birds.

Lucia Ross, spokesperson for BlueGreen Water Technologies, said the technology has been used to successfully control algae blooms in water bodies across the globe, including the U.S., without harming wildlife.

"While the EPA product label advises for potential toxicity of the active ingredient under a variety of conditions on land and water, BlueGreen’s protocol is specific to harmful algal blooms and our dosage rates for Lake Mattamuskeet are below toxic thresholds as confirmed through proactive testing on waterfowl." Ross said.

Lake Mattamuskeet Wildlife Refuge manager Kendall Smith says that initial assessments conclude that effects on wildlife would be minimal.

UNC researcher Nathan Hall and his research team have been monitoring Lake Mattamuskeet since January 2023 to study baseline levels of clarity and algae. Hall says the cyanobacteria overgrowth is severe and already harming the habitat.

"When the lake bed was carpeted with seagrass, ducks and geese fed in Lake," Hall said. "Now, there's nothing for them in the lake to eat."

The state considers concentrations above 40 µg/L to be unsafe, and levels at Lake Mattamuskeet have been as high as 100 µg/L.

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