Voli
Issue 6
September 29, 2005
-,t mattcTSjoj^o^
L matters to The Penduli^ '
Fish die as ^w^en levels plummet
www.elon.edu/pendulum
in lake
''^POfteT
A hi
Hom« green-tinted monster has hit Elon
®^6sLake.
appeared normal, but
faog problems brewed beneath the sur-
flojj: ^ Thursday morning dead fish where
hapD- ® water, and no one was sure what
Udo ^ South Campus area lake,
teactie*' . massive fish kill
nient^l^ ^ environmental science depart-
I^ti n ^ searching for answers,
of jjj . ^3net MacFall, associate professor
thought the problem would be
a iHas • studies proved that “there was
fireen-blue algae bloom Monday
the fish,” MacFall said,
itiejj^^^^'^nmental science lab students
Lalcg 'tv oxygen levels at Elon Homes
^ betl
The mg/1 during this time of year.
cotitai showed that on Monday the lake
23 mo/i Rv Tuesday,
OXyg. O'g/l of oxygen. By Tuesdaj^
by ^ ®'^els radically dropped to 6 mg/1
Hig/j ®^sday they were down to only 3.5
A high level of
phosphorus in
Elon Homes Lake
caused an algae
bloom. When a
«ver . ~ ■*«u>Mvc uiuiiucioKJi*** —i-rthtnine Storm
'*^age neighborhood ^,g3e
in the lake, oxy-
’ gen level plumj
%eted. The sud-
jen loss ofoxy-
'w. —''■■vuuiuiiciii ui lugi*'"V D- . chncked and
killed many of
•K'^suffocate. crh living in
question then became what caused this t e '
bloom. MacFall said “Blue- the lake.
iflg tjj an algae bloom occurred, caus-
T\ies^ to become highly oxidized. Cta
ovgf ^ ^ massive thunderstorm dropped
|”^h of rain and neighborhood
to risg * pipes emptied into the lake causing it
ijig foot. This churned the algae caus-
•tuiQv^ faster and as it died it
'Vejit ®*ygen fiom the water. The fish
W, wi,”' ^ environment of high oxygen to
shockeH th#»ir cv«tftm and caused
jL*r'7@?4e^
Brandon Hughes/ Photographer
See FISH p. 2
features
Want to be on
Oprah?
Find out how one Eloi^tu-
dent feels cheated by the
media mogul.
entertainment
im Burton’s sophomore
iffort powerful.
Jo see ‘Corpse Bride’
this weekend.
;ee p*
SPORTS
Feel like retiring?
Find out why Alan White
decided to retire as Hon’s
athletics director.
See p. 21
See p. 15