\n
![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-1242716330-e1723907625714.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n [ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
Beating the heat in the US\u00a0is a little harder this summer than it used to be:\u00a0E. coli\u00a0<\/em>and cyanobacteria are causing widespread beach closures at lakes and rivers. It\u2019s a problem exacerbated by climate change-fueled warmer waters and more prolific downpours, which are creating perfect conditions for bacteria to flourish.<\/p>\n Bacteria tend to grow in warm conditions and between 1985 and 2009,\u00a0lakes and ponds warmed at a rate of\u00a0roughly 0.6F (0.3C) per decade<\/a>. That shift is\u00a0increasing the\u00a0risk of blooms<\/a>\u00a0in historically cold places. The bacteria can cause a host of symptoms, including blisters, rashes, diarrhea, muscle weakness, and liver damage,\u00a0to name a few. Outbreaks can\u00a0also tax ecosystems.<\/p>\n All that comes at a price:\u00a0In the US alone, preventing and treating harmful cyanobacterial blooms\u00a0cost more than $1 billion<\/a>\u00a0between 2010 and 2020, and the figure is likely to rise due to global warming.<\/p>\n Heavy rain often provides the \u201cfuel and supplies\u201d for bacterial spikes, according to Kaitlin Reinl, a limnologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stormwater drives bacterial growth by washing phosphorus and nitrogen into lakes and rivers, where heat waves can drive bacteria and algae growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBasically, temperature speeds up everything,\u201d says Hans-Peter Grossart, professor of aquatic microbial ecology and biodiversity at Potsdam University. \u201cThe carbon dioxide equilibrium in the water has been changed because we have higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations now. The greenhouse [effect] increases nutrient concentration (e.g. phosphorus and nitrogen presence in the water) and CO2 concentration.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the most common bacterial threats to water quality is diarrheagenic\u00a0E. coli<\/em>, which thrives in warmer conditions: Each 1C increase in monthly average temperature\u00a0raises its incidence by 8%<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cyanobacteria \u2014 dubbed blue-green algae \u2014 also blooms in the high heat. When the algae decomposes, it releases harmful toxins that cause respiratory and gastrointestinal issues as well as skin and eye irritation. More extreme impacts include seizures and liver damage, and the algae can even kill pets and wildlife, according to the US\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n In historically hot climates like Florida, precipitation is the largest factor driving cyanobacterial blooms. But rising temperatures are\u00a0impacting waterways in cooler climates<\/a>\u00a0that typically aren\u2019t associated with cyanobacterial blooms. Massachusetts reached a season record with 55 beach closures\u00a0as of Aug. 16,\u00a0 87% of them due to bacterial spikes, according to the state\u2019s\u00a0Interactive Beach Water Quality Dashboard<\/a>.\u00a0Vermont\u2019s cyanobacteria tracker<\/a>\u00a0currently lists more than 40\u00a0active alerts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even Lake Tahoe, famous for its pristine waters,\u00a0showed signs<\/a>\u00a0warning of toxic algal blooms earlier this summer. While those concerns were a false alarm, the risk of a real outbreak hangs over the lake. Algal blooms have become a growing\u00a0issue in recent years<\/a>, and dangerous toxins were detected in a\u00a0pond on Lake Tahoe\u2019s Nevada shores<\/a>, though it wasn\u2019t connected to the lake.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 1.4 degree rise in annual water temperature is having an impact on parts of the lake that we thought would never be a problem,\u201d says Jeff Cowen<\/a>, a public information officer at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.<\/p>\n That\u2019s also threatening Tahoe\u2019s\u00a0$5.1 billion in yearly tourism revenue<\/a>, which makes up 60% of the area\u2019s economy, according to Cowen. While Tahoe can blunt any would-be summer issues with its prolific winter skiing season, many lakeside economies depend on visitors flocking there to take a dip on hot days.<\/p>\n Adam Gufarotti, community support manager for the city of Lake Elsinore, says harmful algae blooms are a major concern. As the largest freshwater lake in Southern California, Elsinore draws visitors from around the region. But in 2022, the lake shut down for six months due to a dangerous bacterial bloom. The city lost $300,000 in lake use fees alone.\u00a0Gufarotti noted that the toll was even higher for local retailers dependent on tourism revenue.<\/p>\n To avert a repeat, Lake Elsinore in February kickstarted\u00a0a $2 million investment<\/a>\u00a0to pilot what\u2019s known as nanobubble technology, from Moleaer Inc. By injecting the lake with pure oxygen, Moleaer\u2019s nanobubble barges increase lake levels of the element and limit the release of phosphorus that allows bacteria to thrive. The lake purchased two more barges in June.\u00a0<\/p>\n But technological solutions for large bodies of water remain few and far between. Gufarotti says he is constantly being pitched on new\u00a0water-quality solutions, but many can\u2019t handle a lake of Elsinore\u2019s size. \u201cA lot of the time, the largest body of water they\u2019ve cleaned up is one acre or 50 acres. Lake Elsinore is 3,000 acres,\u201d he says. The cost of using these technologies at that scale can be prohibitively high, with some startups asking for tens of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the best strategies for reducing the risk of harmful bacterial blooms are reducing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to cut off the fuel algae need, and lowering emissions. Failing to do so could leave tourism-dependent communities up a creek.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lake\u2019s beauty, scenic quality, blueness and clarity are what attract people in the first place,\u201d Tahoe\u2019s Cowen says. \u201cBut it goes beyond that: Here, the economy is the environment\u00a0and the environment is the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nRecommended Newsletter:<\/strong> CEO Daily provides key context for the news leaders need to know from across the world of business. Every weekday morning, more than 125,000 readers trust CEO Daily for insights about\u2013and from inside\u2013the C-suite. Subscribe Now<\/a>.<\/div>\n