SMLA Gathers Data and Insight to Keep SML Free of Harmful Algal Blooms

Smith Mountain Lake Association (SMLA) has released a data report from the first year of its Dock Watch Program. The 2024 Dock Watch report is an essential first step at characterizing cyanobacteria activity in SML, believed to be a key predictor of harmful algal blooms (HABs).

“We recognized that we needed to know more about cyanobacteria in SML in order to take action to reduce the probability of harmful algal blooms at SML. Thanks to the Dock Watch volunteers, we now have one year of baseline data,” said Keri Green, SMLA Lake Quality Council chair.

SMLA launched the Dock Watch program to monitor cyanobacteria levels and other parameters at 20 dock locations around SML. Volunteers collected water samples and analyzed them under a microscope. The effort resulted in more than 290 data points that are documented in the report.

No HABs were identified at the lake in 2024. SMLA identified cyanobacteria in samples from each of the docks in the program. Volunteers found that levels of phycocyanin, a pigment that only cyanobacteria emit, varied at dock locations across the summer season.

SMLA volunteers have been trained by NOAA Phytoplankton Monitoring Network scientists to identify the most common cyanobacteria at SML. Dock Watch is intended to help establish a baseline, track patterns and trends, and keep an eye out for conditions that could evolve into HABs. SMLA Dock Watch is also aligned with the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network.

The program is continuing in 2025 and is expected to continue to improve the understanding of cyanobacteria in SML. The goal is to be able to identify appropriate mitigation actions.

The 2024 Dock Watch report documents the data collected last year. It is available at the SMLA website, smlassociation.org.