Last week, a Sentinel-Tribune reader emailed me about if I noticed algae in our ditches.

Quite frankly, as I have been driving around, I really have not paid attention. I asked the reader where they noticed the algae. Their response was in the middle of the county.

They also noted there was more of it, and it’s appearing earlier than previous years. Realizing this was not an isolated incidence, I paid more attention to our ditches and noticed throughout the county some of our ditches did indeed have filamentous algae growth.

The question is why is the algae there, and is it showing up earlier this year?

Michael Haberland, environmental and resource management educator, Rutgers Experimental Station, gives explanation of the types of filamentous algae in our environment.

Filamentous algae can be found worldwide in fresh water and marine environments. Numerous species of filamentous algae exist, all with similar growth and appearance, and often more than one species is present in a water body at the same time.

Some of the more common forms can be distinguished by their texture. Spirogyra is bright green and slimy to the touch, Cladophora has a cotton-like feel, and Pithophora has a coarse texture like horsehair. They typically appear as a “mat” or mass usually green in color, but may become yellow, gray to brown, long, stringy hair-like strands.

Individual filaments are a series of cells joined end to end for a thread-like appearance. These filaments entwine and can form mats resembling wet wool, cotton, or slime, starting in the early spring.

Most filamentous algae prefer stagnant, nutrient rich, warm waters. Spirogyra, however, is one species that flourishes more in cooler spring and fall months. They are found to dominate the littoral zone (the shallow, near-shore area where sunlight can penetrate to the bottom allowing aquatic plants to grow) in lakes, ponds and streams, and can also grow in wet places like ditches and moist surfaces.

Growth is sometimes referred to as a “bloom” because the algae can grow quickly. Single cells reproduce into long strands that grow towards the water’s surface. As they grow, the algae produce oxygen during the day through photosynthesis. The algal strands trap the oxygen allowing the algae to float to the surface forming large, dense mats. The cause of these algal accumulations is typically associated with an overabundance of nutrients, mainly phosphorus.

Having filamentous algae is not necessarily a bad thing to have. Filamentous algae are an essential component of the aquatic ecosystem. They serve as a food source for protozoa and invertebrates, provide oxygen to the water, and provide habitat for small animals including aquatic insects, snails, and small fish.

However, problems arise when excess phosphorus causes excessive growth to reach nuisance levels resulting in an algal accumulation known as mats, moss or scum.

The key to effective long-term control of algal blooms is limiting, reducing or redirecting the input of external nutrients, primarily phosphorus from entering our waterways. Potential nutrient sources include runoff from lawns and golf courses, agricultural fields and poorly functioning septic systems.

Contrary as to what we hear from some news media outlets, farmers and commercial growers are concerned about nutrient loss, believing that it is likely to have a negative impact on water quality and profit potential, said Greg LaBarge, an Ohio State University Extension field specialist. Phosphorus fertilizer is essential to Ohio crop production for food, fuel, and fiber, LaBarge said.

OSU research is continuing to look for best management practices farmers and commercial growers can implement to reduce farm field phosphorus lost into water resources, which increases the potential for algal blooms, he said.

Besides the research, phosphorus is extremely expensive in crop production. Farmers and commercial growers have seen phosphorus prices increase by 65% over last year. Last year, phosphorus prices were already at an all-time high. Farmers and commercial growers are applying phosphorus now based on plant needs and ongoing research of soils holding capacities.

Even small amounts of phosphorus runoff from farms and sewage are enough to fuel algal blooms that fill waterways with festering green scum according to National Geographic Planet Possible Science. The other factor to be considered is poorly functioning septic systems. It is not entirely known what percentage septic systems are failing in the county; however, this may be a contributing factor.

The final factor is this year’s weather pattern and our county’s ditches makeup. Some of our ditches are shallow with slow moving water. Slow moving water in shallow areas allow sunlight to warm the water quicker and concentrates phosphorus from all sources.

Yes, this is a complicated issue. Filamentous algae are an essential part of our aquatic ecosystem. Our ditches are an integral part of our drainage systems that drain eventually into Lake Erie. Excessive phosphorus reduction is not only a farmer and commercial grower’s problem. Reduction of phosphorus is all our responsibility.