Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Due to recent warm weather, algae has suddenly risen from the bottom of Lake Frances. This unsightly film has prompted Madison City Manager Tim Bennett and Madison Public Works Superintendent David Floyd to contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for assistance in battling the green grime. “Lake Frances is listed in the Fish and Wildlife database as part of the state's inventory of water bodies,” said Bennett. “Fish and Wildlife will determine the solution to the algae, and we look forward to working with them to implement that solution as soon as possible.”
In speaking with Dan Dorosheff with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, it seems unlikely the state agency will do much to clear the algae from the lake. According to Dorosheff, the algae seen on Lake Frances is algae that is on the bottom of the lake. When the water gets warmer, gasses cause the algae to rise to the surface. That is the green film that has appeared along the banks of the lake. This algae is a “symptom of a bigger problem, and that is nutrient run-off,” said Dorosheff. Dorosheff said the state would be reluctant to spend money cleaning up the surface algae when it will likely return over and over again. According to Dorosheff, herbicides can be used to control the algae; however, that does carry a huge side-effect in that it also kills fish. Sediments in Lake Frances are too high to drain the lake.
Currently, the City is weighing available options concerning the algae in Lake Frances.
Algae has floated up from the bottom of Lake Frances due to the recent warm weather.