Tropical Storm Agatha
Lake Atitlan Landslides Update
Tropical storm Agagtha has done a tremendous amount of damage around Lake Atitlan. San Antonio Polopo has had at least 20 deaths and more people are still missing. There are photos of the landslides at San Antonio and San Pedro posted on http://www.mayantrip.com
Many of the towns around the lake experienced landslides. The loss of life was far less than Hurricane Stan, but there is still a lot of human tragedy and work to be done. I found 2 aerial videos taken surveying the damage around Lake Atitlan from the landslides resulting from Tropical Storm Agatha.
The Guatemala Times has just released an excellent in depth article explaining what is going on with the cyanobacteria in Lake Atitlan. It concludes that the cyano will return. Its a long article, but well worth reading. The conclusion is basically the same as the one we have published here at the bottom of the page from November 9 by Dr. Rejmankova.
The current bloom of Cyanobacteria Lyngbya Hironymusii on Lake Atitlan has receded significantly from the November levels, perhaps until next fall. There are still potentially serious negative health impacts from contact with this form of Blue-Green algae. People should avoid contact with any water containing large concentrations of algae. Right now the lake looks clear and people have generally resumed their activities as was usual before the bloom. At this point a visitor could come to the lake and leave having no idea of the real problems that exist.
Beware of people raising money! Do your homework on who is behind these various organizations. Lake Atitlan Health does not currently endorse any organization raising money. There are some very good ones with diverse ways of allocating donations, but do your homework! Here is an example of checking up on people asking for money - There is a website by Save Lake Atitlan Mission,
www.savelakeatitlan.com, that is run by the same person who writes this blog http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.arcticbeacon.com.
A very recent article in Helo Magazine by Andrea Julian covers some of the more human aspects of the bloom along with some local historical perspective.
The excellent web site Atitlan Community has an article by Sidney Eschenbach titled "Why Lakes are Like Black Holes" which does a very good job explaining some of the problems too much nutrients entering the lake present and discusses some of the very needed actions which must begin soon.
An opinion column published in Prensa Libre on the 12th of February echoes concerns shared by many people around the lake and the editors of this website. It points out the disappointing use of biofilters which will be of questionable help when the bloom returns and other concerns over appropriate technology and allocation of monies.
There were many cases of severe dermatitis reported around the lake from people who came in direct contact with the cyanobacteria during attempts to "clean" the lake. This was during the peak bloom where it had amassed in large quantities, conditions have improved due to the season.
THE GOOD NEWS is that with cooler weather the bloom is diminishing and tourists can see a beautiful Lake Atitlan once again! Kayaking on parts of the lake where no Blue Green algae can be seen should be relatively safe.
Presentation By Dr. Rejmankova on Nov. 9 in San Pedro La Laguna
Dr. Rejmankova gave a presentation about Lake Atitlan and the Cyanobacterial bloom on Monday afternoon.
- The only way to reverse the bloom is to stop the entrance of phosphor and nitrogen rich nutrients to the lake.
- The presence of high levels of dissolved oxygen in the upper layers of the Lake indicate the bloom is currently in a growth phase.
- Lake Atitlan already has a sufficient load of nutrients to feed the Cyanobacteria for years.
- Planting of Tule reeds and other wetland plants will help mitigate the problem.
- Cyanobacteria Lyngbya Hironymusii is not well understood or well researched.
- The Lyngbya can vary greatly in toxicity, from none at all to toxic, from week to week.
- Lake water should not be used domestically and protective gear should be worn when in direct contact with the lake water.(When the bloom is present)
- Well water should not be greatly affected by the Cyanobacteria.
- There are only a handful of laboratories worldwide with adequate facilities to fully test the toxicity of Lake Atitlans bloom. Results from testing can take weeks.
- Leaving the Cyanobacteria in the lake will help break down toxins faster than removing it from the water.
- Even if the flow of nutrients is greatly reduced we should expect the Cyanobacterial bloom to return and grow larger every year for the next several years, until the existing nutrient load is reduced.
Dr. Eliska Rejmankova, PhD Botany, is currently an Associated Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) at the University of California, Davis. She has over 20 years of experience in aquatic and wetland plant ecology.
Official Government Action Plan
The Guatemalan government has released an official action plan. The Spanish language PDF is here. We have a translation on the Facts/Links page.
Salvemos Atitlan
This is an organization comprised of scientists, ecologists, business people, community and government leaders. They have realeased a very current set of recommendations based on a series of meetings over the last weeks. Click Here to see all of their recommendations in english.
http://www.salvemosatitlan.com/