(Spirit Lake)-Several regional Lakes are experiencing large algae blooms. KUOO’s Becky Thoreson has details:
Officials are urging residents to avoid contact with a large algae bloom on Big Spirit Lake.
Iowa DNR Fisheries Biologist Mike Hawkins says, the bloom is widespread. “The bloom seems to be lake-wide. So, it looks like which way the wind’s blowing, those shorelines that are on the downwind side are being affected from the odor of that material as it starts to die off. Blue-green Algae, or more appropriately called Cyanobacteria, is bacteria that can photosynthesize, so it can make its energy from the sun. It’s one of the oldest organisms on the planet, very good at surviving and doing well under really harsh conditions.”
He adds that humans, and their pets, should avoid contact with the water. “When the water is really green like it is, especially when there’s a die-off occurring, most people don’t go into that water when it looks like that anyway, so we don’t hear a lot of interaction with blue-green, Cyanobacteria toxins with humans, but pets especially can be affected by this. So, you want to make sure pets are out of the water when cyanobacteria is blooming or dying off in area.”
He notes that there is also a large bloom on Silver Lake near Lake Park at this time.
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