Beware of the blob

And here we thought we had all aspects of water
hazards covered....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smelly Mystery Blob Takes Over N.J. Town

LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - It smells like rotten eggs at best,
decomposing flesh at worst. It looks like the pods from "Invasion of the Body
Snatchers."
*To the people whose homes back up onto a Tuckerton Creek tributary where the
gelatinous substance recently appeared, it's just "The Blob."
"It's frightening," said Eileen Masterson. "We can't swim because the odor is
so horrible and we won't crab here because we don't know whether it's safe."
The substance, which was noticed about two weeks ago, consists of jelly-like
bulbs that undulate with the waves just below the surface.
By most accounts, it generally stays submerged in about 8 feet of water in the
lagoon. At low tide, some of it pokes through the surface of the water, looking
like marbled rocks.
But no one's sure what it is.
The state Department of Environmental Protection poked at the blob and took
samples as part of a half-dozen field tests Tuesday before deciding it's not
hazardous.
"We've determined that it's not toxic. It's mostly like some algae or fungus,"
said DEP spokesman Jack Kaskey. "It may be an algae growth that lived on the
bottom of the lagoon and after its life cycle ended, gases brought it up to the
surface."
Robert Ingenito, environmental health coordinator for the Ocean County Health
Department, said he hadn't seen anything like it in 30 years of public health
work.
"In the dead-end lagoons, you normally see vegetative material that rots, fish
kills or dissolved oxygen problems, but I've never seen anything like this," he
said. "It's strange."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...ors/index.html

Theo wrote Is this the right time to mention cyanobacteria ? ;-)

That's what I thought...
My backup theory is space aliens.




k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...ors/index.html

"K30a" wrote in message
...
And here we thought we had all aspects of water
hazards covered....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smelly Mystery Blob Takes Over N.J. Town
snip

They need loud rock music...no...wait...that is for large tomatoes. Ice,
yeah that's it...Lotsa ice!!!

BV.

Sorry if this double posted.

Here at the Jersey shore the politicians are trying to figure a
way to put a tax on it or raise the Egg Harbor toll on the Atlantic
City Expressway for people coming to see the blob. My theory is that
it is the remains of Jimmy Hoffa relocated from Giant Stadium. Or one
of the new casinos cross-connected their sanitary sewer to the storm
drain.

"BenignVanilla" wrote in message
...
"K30a" wrote in message
...
And here we thought we had all aspects of water
hazards covered....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smelly Mystery Blob Takes Over N.J. Town
snip

They need loud rock music...no...wait...that is for large tomatoes.
Ice,
yeah that's it...Lotsa ice!!!

BV.

Some frogs build a mucus case to winter in. That could be what you are
talking about. If broken over the winter ....... dead frog.

http://community.webshots.com/user/hankpage1

"Bob Adkins" wrote in message
...
On 08 Aug 2003 17:02:02 GMT, ESPMER (K30a) wrote:

Theo wrote Is this the right time to mention cyanobacteria ?
;-)

That's what I thought...
My backup theory is space aliens.

OK, what are those smaller blobs in ponds? They are clear,
gelatinous, and
feel quite tough when you poke at them. They do not appear to be
eggs of any
sort. I've seen them about 6-8" in diameter and weighing close to 2
pounds.
They do not float, and have no strong odor.

Bob

And let this be a warning to all ponders who neglect the fall cleaning of
their bottoms (pond bottoms that is). ;o) ~ jan

On 08 Aug 2003 16:08:42 GMT, ESPMER (K30a) wrote:

And here we thought we had all aspects of water
hazards covered....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Smelly Mystery Blob Takes Over N.J. Town

LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - It smells like rotten eggs at best,
decomposing flesh at worst. It looks like the pods from "Invasion of the Body
Snatchers."
*To the people whose homes back up onto a Tuckerton Creek tributary where the
gelatinous substance recently appeared, it's just "The Blob."
"It's frightening," said Eileen Masterson. "We can't swim because the odor is
so horrible and we won't crab here because we don't know whether it's safe."
The substance, which was noticed about two weeks ago, consists of jelly-like
bulbs that undulate with the waves just below the surface.
By most accounts, it generally stays submerged in about 8 feet of water in the
lagoon. At low tide, some of it pokes through the surface of the water, looking
like marbled rocks.
But no one's sure what it is.
The state Department of Environmental Protection poked at the blob and took
samples as part of a half-dozen field tests Tuesday before deciding it's not
hazardous.
"We've determined that it's not toxic. It's mostly like some algae or fungus,"
said DEP spokesman Jack Kaskey. "It may be an algae growth that lived on the
bottom of the lagoon and after its life cycle ended, gases brought it up to the
surface."
Robert Ingenito, environmental health coordinator for the Ocean County Health
Department, said he hadn't seen anything like it in 30 years of public health
work.
"In the dead-end lagoons, you normally see vegetative material that rots, fish
kills or dissolved oxygen problems, but I've never seen anything like this," he
said. "It's strange."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...ors/index.html


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

I'll vote for Bryozoans, based on this website:
http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/con...r/bryozoa.html

Pectinatella magnifica -- What a great name!

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


"Bob Adkins" wrote in message ...

OK, what are those smaller blobs in ponds? They are clear, gelatinous, and
feel quite tough when you poke at them. They do not appear to be eggs of any
sort. I've seen them about 6-8" in diameter and weighing close to 2 pounds.
They do not float, and have no strong odor.

Bob

Anne wrote http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/con...r/bryozoa.html

Oh, my gosh!!


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...ors/index.html

Since it is local to me, I thought I would give a "BLOB" update.
The state of NJ experts decided to cut it up and disperse it. In the
same breath they said they still don't know what it was.
I seem to remember somebody cutting up starfish to get rid of
them.(each arm grew a new body)
Don't these experts ever learn???????

http://community.webshots.com/user/hankpage1


"Hank" wrote in message
.. .
Sorry if this double posted.

Here at the Jersey shore the politicians are trying to figure a
way to put a tax on it or raise the Egg Harbor toll on the Atlantic
City Expressway for people coming to see the blob. My theory is that
it is the remains of Jimmy Hoffa relocated from Giant Stadium. Or
one
of the new casinos cross-connected their sanitary sewer to the storm
drain.

"BenignVanilla" wrote in
message
...
"K30a" wrote in message
...
And here we thought we had all aspects of water
hazards covered....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smelly Mystery Blob Takes Over N.J. Town
snip

They need loud rock music...no...wait...that is for large
tomatoes.
Ice,
yeah that's it...Lotsa ice!!!

BV.

Hank wrote The state of NJ experts decided to cut it up and disperse it. In
the
same breath they said they still don't know what it was.

oh-my-gawd!!
Has Stephen King shown up yet?


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html