Travis Landing Water Quality Monitoring
Posted on July 30, 2021 8:00 AM by Maggie McLening
Travis Landing Water Quality Monitoring
In late February 2021, LCRA detected cyanotoxins in algae growing along the shoreline in Travis Landing. The most prevalent was dihydroanatoxin-a and it is suspected to have been the cause of several dogs becoming ill and dying after playing in Lake Travis. Lower levels of Anatoxin-a were also found, primarily in filamentous algae. LCRA continues to conduct tests for cyanotoxins throughout the Highland Lakes and those results are now being combined with Travis Landing’s own water quality monitoring to protect people and pets.
Longtime Rainbow One residents, Toddy and John Anderson, joined the Colorado River Watch Network in May and, after completing LCRA training, they have started testing water samples along our shoreline every month. They measure and record the levels of dissolved oxygen and nitrate nitrogen; the pH balance; the specific conductance of lake water along with water temperatures and weather conditions. Deviations from any of the typical recorded range of measurements can provide early warning of changes or issues impacting the delicate ecosystem balance that trigger the growth of toxic algae.
On July 1st LCRA halted testing algae for cyanotoxins and installed a permanent SPATT (Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking) bag made of porous synthetic resin to collect offshore water samples instead. The contents of the SPATT bag will be tested for Anatoxin-a and dihydroanatoxin-a on a monthly basis with the next results due in mid-August. In the meantime, a water sample collected from the Travis Landing peninsula on July 25 showed test results well within the normal range, indicating no cause for concern with lake water at the moment.
As temperatures rise, however, LCRA recommends treating all algae as if it could be toxic and avoiding contact with it in any of the Highland Lakes. Water quality monitoring in Travis Landing is intended to provide an early warning system for our community. Decaying organic matter combined with warm weather and excessive algal growth can result in low levels of dissolved oxygen, causing fish to die. Similarly, a high pH balance indicating alkalinity in lake water or elevated levels of nitrate nitrogen can also stimulate algal growth and kill fish. Specific conductance is an electrical measurement of water quality that indicates the presence of salts or heavy metals, possibly from run-off. High conductivity levels over 1000 µS/cm may be harmful to humans or aquatic life.
So how can you recognize algae? This is what it looks like:
Chunk algae found along the shoreline in Travis landing
Filamentous algae found along the Travis Landing peninsula
Algae thrive in shallow water with plenty of nutrients and we can help reduce man-made sources of nutrients:
- Pick up and properly dispose of pet waste
- Reduce the use of phosphorus fertilizer on lawns
- Don’t dump lawn clippings, leaves or other yard waste into storm drains, creek beds or the lake
- Have septic systems inspected and pumped at least every three to five years
- Use silt fences, containment barriers and other best management practices to prevent runoff of nutrient-laden sediment
- Plant and maintain vegetative buffer strips along shorelines of lakes, ponds and streams. Native plants are much more effective at filtering runoff than grass typically found on residential lawns
Testing for E coli bacteria is also due to start soon in Travis Landing. While less deadly to dogs or people than cyanotoxins, water contaminated by E coli bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. Outbreaks of E coli may be caused by untreated human sewage, failing septic tanks, livestock agriculture, pets, wildlife and illegal connections from home sewer systems. Travis Landing continues to rely on the LCRA to conduct testing for cyanotoxins which are mostly found in the chunk and filamentous algae growing along the peninsula when lake levels fall.
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