Cladophora grows as thin, almost-microscopic, hair-like threads up to 10 centimeters long.  These hair-like threads form slippery mats attached to rocks and other solid objects at or just below the water line.  Detached mats accumulate in areas (Figure 2) and may foul beaches and cause taste and odor problems in drinking water.  Cladophora has become more abundant during the past century in many areas where an excess of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage, enter the Great Lakes.