Syracuse.com - Expert say large amounts of foam at Skaneateles Lake's northern end is natural phenomenon

[HuntingNY-News]

Abbott said in recent years the city tested the foam for phosphorus (an indicator of farm fertilizer run-off) and for surfactants (soap byproducts). Very little was found, he said.

So, what is with all that foam at the northern end of Skaneateles Lake lately? A large amount of it was in the outlet near the dam in the village, and large globs dotted the northern shoreline Wednesday night.

City of Syracuse Water Department and state Environmental Conservation officials today said the same thing.

It's not pollution. It's naturally occurring. It happens every year around this time - particularly in response to days when temperatures drop and winds are strong and push it to one area of the waterway.

This is now the shoreline appeared on the northern shore of the lake on Wednesday night near the dock where the Judge Ben Wiles tour boat is kept.David Figura | [email protected] 

"DEC has determined that the foam is naturally occurring," said Linda Vera, a DEC spokeswoman. "Foam is a common phenomenon in lakes and ponds. It is formed when air is mixed with organic material, and is enhanced when a surfactant or surface-active compound is also present. It most commonly occurs in the fall, when organic matter from the degradation of plants is reintroduced into the lake, although foam can be induced at any time with the introduction of detergents.

Foam has also been attributed to zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) infestation, probably due to the excretion of large amounts of organic matter.

Vera said a quick, but largely simplified distinction between "natural" and "unnatural" foam is in the appearance and odor.

"Natural foam is white to beige in color and has no odor or only a slight earthy or fishy smell," she said. "Man-induced foaming can be white to slightly pink and has a perfume odor."

She said that "large streaks of foam often occur in larger lakes, caused by water circulation patterns referred to as Langmuir streaks (or windrows). The streaks are generally parallel to the wind direction, and spread further apart with increasing wind."

Rich Abbott, who works at the city's Water Department building in Skaneateles, said there was an algae bloom a couple of weeks ago and the lake's water temperature dropped. Both could have contributed to this week's foam.

Abbott said in recent years the city tested the foam for phosphorus (an indicator of farm fertilizer run-off) and for surfactants (soap byproducts).

"We found very little," he said.

Abbot said receives about three to 10 calls a year about it, and the worst he's seen was about three years ago.

"There were huge amounts of it (on the shore) behind the buildings in the village. We got a lot of calls because it was so visible," he said.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog