![]() The MN Department of Health recommends avoiding contact with PFAS-containing foam. PFAS-containing foam on surface water isn't a risk to human health if contact is minor. Water samples collected in the same area showed much lower levels of PFAS. Paul, between Battle Creek Lake and Highway 61. In 20, foam containing PFAS was found in Battle Creek in St. However, PFAS can also sometimes cause foaming on surface waters. Most foam observed in lakes or streams is naturally occurring, and not an indicator of pollution. ![]() Foam caused by detergents will often be white and may have a perfume smell. ![]() Natural foam tends to off-white, tan, or brown and have a fishy odor. Like other things that float on the surface, the foam will often collect on a downwind or downstream shore, and although it may not be aesthetically pleasing, it is natural and harmless. The mixing or agitation in lakes is commonly caused by wind and wave action in streams, it may result from water flowing through rapids or over a dam. It's created when air mixes with natural organic compounds, such as decomposing plants and animals. In most instances, the foam we see on the surface of lakes and streams is natural. What causes foam to gather on the shoreline? This is a natural event and shouldn't affect the overall water quality. After becoming waterlogged, the pollen sinks to the bottom. It is very common to see it in late spring to early summer. The powder you are seeing is most likely pine pollen. What causes that yellowish powder or dust on water? If it is a larger sheen resulting from a spill, please report the spill to the Minnesota Duty Officer at 80. It will evaporate or be broken down by microbes. If your lake or river has stormwater outfalls, or drains a parking lot or road, it is typical to see a sheen after a rainfall. If it quickly reforms, then it is likely a petroleum-based sheen. If you try to break up the sheen with a stick or rock and it breaks into small pieces, it is a bacterial sheen. If there isn’t an obvious source of petroleum and no petroleum odor, the sheen is likely the result of bacteria. This rainbow or iridescent sheen looks like what you see when oil, gasoline, or other petroleum product is spilled on water. Photo courtesy of Kanabec Soil and Water Conservation District What is causing the oil-like sheen on the water? NOTE: Chemical control of aquatic plants requires a permit from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. You can compost these piles or use them in your garden as mulch. The best method for homeowners to remove filamentous algae is to rake out the floating clumps and limit the nutrients that reach the water from their property. Pithophora (or horse hair) has a very coarse texture like horse hair or steel wool. Cladophora feels cottony, while Spirogyra is bright green and very slimy to the touch. Some of the more common forms of filamentous algae can be identified by their texture, although microscopic examination is usually required for exact recognition. This trapped oxygen makes the algae buoyant and causes it to rise to the surface of the pond or lake. ![]() As the algae grow, they produce oxygen that gets trapped in the entangled strands of algae. Filamentous algae form on near-shore bottom sediments or submerged objects in ponds and lakes where there is good transparency and where sunlight reaches the bottom of the pond or lake. This is a common and troublesome aquatic plant that forms dense, hair-like mats. It's probably filamentous algae, sometimes called moss or pond scum.
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