Researchers team up to test our local waterways

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the University of South Alabama are partnering to test the water quality in our local waterways to help keep them clean and you safe.

Our day started with our research boat heading just off Dauphin Island to collect water samples.

This project has two parts. The first part is collecting data for the state of Alabama for us to use as a baseline. That baseline might be compared to future water quality after a hurricane, or in the wake of an environmental disaster like another oil spill, or chemicals in the water.

“The other component of this is trying to get into places that have not been routinely sampled in the past. Shallow, backwater areas,” marine scientist Dr. John Lehrter said.

That is where we swim, areas like the Fairhope beaches or the sandy shore on the western side of Mobile Bay. Samples here check for pollutants, toxins and algae in the water.

The researchers drop instruments in the water that get samples from the surface to the bottom. They also collect data such as clarity, temperatures, location and more.

After the data is collected, the team heads back to the lab to test the water.

“Basically, we’re trying to get what is in the water versus what is floating in the water,” Christopher Mikolaitis, a Ph.D. student at the University of South Alabama, explained.

They filter the water to collect particles called phytoplankton, or microscopic plants. Their presence in the water is a balancing act. Too many of these particles in our water can cause events like jubilees. Too little phytoplankton creates other issues.

So, what’s the water saying so far? Dr. Lehrter says the initial results show that the water quality is getting worse due to population growth, more storm runoff, and the misuse of fertilizer. This can lead to more algae blooms, lower water clarity, more jubilees and more.

Although the results are not great news, all information is important. We will have the knowledge need to be ready for whatever comes.

“We were really caught flat-footed after the oil spill without being able to talk to the public,” Dr. Lehrter said. “We saw oil coming into the bay, but the questions about how it is affecting water quality and how it affecting the animals.”

So the testing continues to spark solutions and encourage everyone to keep Growing the Gulf Coast.

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