Spartanburg Water spraying for algae that caused foul tasting, smelling water in 2015

Two months after an unanticipated fish kill, Spartanburg Water is again spraying Lake Bowen and Municipal Reservoir No. 1 with an algae-killing substance to protect Spartanburg County’s public drinking water supply.

This time, a different substance is being used and no fish kill is expected. And the algae being targeted is the same type that three years ago caused a major problem with bad-tasting and smelly water for several months.

“This method is absolutely safe and will not have an impact on any of your normal lake activities,” said Spartanburg Water spokesman Chad Lawson. “In fact, this treatment and application process were specifically developed for Spartanburg Water by experts at Clemson University.”

Crews on boats with AquaServices, a vendor used by the water system, began spraying about 2,750 gallons of Algimycin, a liquid also used in swimming pools to control algae.

If left untreated, the algae can produce an organic compound with a strong odor called methylisoborneol, or MIB, which was the root of the water system’s issues with foul-smelling and bad-tasting water from mid- to late 2015.

More than 220 acres of the 1,534-acre lake are being targeted. Spraying started Thursday morning and will finish up Friday morning, according to Spartanburg Water Director of Water Treatment Ken Tuck. A follow-up application is scheduled for Reservoir No. 1 during the week of July 23.

Tuck said the water system has many monitoring sites at Lake Bowen, and the spraying is being targeted to only those sites where the algae growth is seen as a problem.

Lawson said a single algaecide treatment can cost as much as $150,000.

The Algimycin is being applied on the lake midway between the Interstate 26 and Highway 9 bridges and extending toward the Lake Bowen Dam — not along the shoreline or abutting any boat docks, Tuck said.

A device is lowered from a boat into the water to apply the spray below the surface at depths of 7 to 19 feet, he said. Another boat has sprayers in the back to apply the Algimycin.

“The algaecide is safe for drinking water and recreation and the concentrations we are using are very low,” Tuck said.

Toxicologist John Rogers of the Clemson University School of College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences is monitoring the spraying and compiling a report to be presented to Spartanburg Water within the next few days.

Rogers has looked at what caused the fish kill after a similar algaecide spraying May 14 on Lake Bowen to kill Geosmin, a by-product of a different type of algae. Rogers said he's prescribing the safest method possible to kill algae while not affecting fish.

“There’s no such thing as a zero risk with algaecide, but I would be shocked if there is a fish kill (this time),” Rogers said.

Rogers intends to use his findings from Spartanburg Water’s algae control methods to apply to other water systems across the country and world that face similar problems.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources and Clemson’s Department of Pesticide Regulation are investigating the May 14 fish kill. Rogers said his report is due to be finished in a few days.

Preliminary results showed that the active ingredient in the spray used — copper — was not at high enough levels in fish to sufficiently explain all deaths, Rogers said.

He said the deaths occurred during spawning season, which is normally a stressful time for fish; that most dead fish were discovered in shallow water where spawning beds are located; and that water temperatures were unusually high and contained less dissolved oxygen than cooler water.

Tuck said this week’s spraying is for two different types, Anabaena and Synedra, which produce MIB and can make it more difficult to treat water and cause it to taste and smell bad.What’s different from three years ago, Tuck said, is that this algae growth is being addressed before it becomes as bad in 2015 when water officials played catch-up to correct the problem.

Lawson said lakefront residents are being asked to continue efforts to help keep the lake free of pollutants. Storms with heavy rainfall wash contaminants like fertilizer, pesticides and bacteria into the lake.

“Please refrain from using fertilizers of any kind on your lawn,” he said. “As a reminder, the use of fertilizers is not permitted on any Spartanburg Water property. Pick up all pet waste promptly to prevent it from washing into the lakes. Inspect and maintain septic tanks. There are environmental impacts when septic systems are not in proper working order.”