Gloeotrichia (commonly called gloeo) is a cyanobacteria that appears as small dots in Keoka. Cyanobacteria are bacteria that grow in water and are photosynthetic (use sunlight to support life). Cyanobacteria blooms occur when organisms that are normally present grow at an increased rate. Blooms can form in still and slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients. Nutrients can be derived from natural processes as well as sediments washed from roads, construction sites, patches of bare soil, fertilizer runoff or septic system malfunctions. Blooms can appear at any time but most often occur in late summer or early fall. Cyanobactera blooms are common in lakes and ponds worldwide and are often triggered by warm temperatures, plentiful sunlight, and available phosphate. Unlike other such organisms, cyanobacteria are able to gain a competitive edge by meeting some or all of their cellular nitrogen requirement through chemically processing nitrogen dissolved in water.
Blooms often appear one to two weeks after some very hot days so expect to start seeing dots in the water soon. For more information on gloeo click here.