Big Spirit Lake has recently seen an explosion of an eye-catching bright pink and purple slime on its waters. Mike Hawkins, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, believes that this slime is the byproduct of an intense algae bloom. He states that due to the low oxygen levels in this decaying mass of organic material, purple sulfur bacteria has been able to bloom. Hawkins also mentions that this summer has seen an increase in algae blooms because of the current weather conditions, and that this is a signal to further reduce the amount of nutrients getting into the lake.
