UTAH COUNTY — Harmful algal blooms started exploding across major bodies are water in Utah due to the high temperatures this summer.
According to Kelly Cannon-O’Day from the Utah Lake Authority, this season has been worse.
“This year is a little worse than it has been in the last 3-4 years, and that’s mostly due to warmer temperatures,” she said.
With the recent cooler weather, however, this season may be coming to an end.
“They need still water, they need warm water, and they need nutrients, which are their food source. And so when we have kind of colder weather, when we have windy weather, it's removing two of those needed ingredients,” O'Day said.
While blooms in the middle of the lake are starting to go away, the ones on the shore remain dangerous.
“They get blown onto the beach, and so there's more at the beach, more in these scums, these thick scums, than in the water proper, in the body of the lake. And this is really where we have a lot of the concerns with health,” said John Mackey with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
If you ingest this bacteria, it can make you sick.
“No swimming where you’re putting your head below the water,” O’Day said. "Paddle boarding and kayaking, that’s fine, going on boats is fine.”
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While no humans have died from ingesting the bacteria, dogs have.
“If your dog is vomiting or has diarrhea, excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth, if they have a loss of appetite, if they're stumbling or exhibiting weakness or even having difficulty breathing,” said Guinnevere Shuster from the Humane Society of Utah, "you'll want to take them to an emergency vet right away.”
Shuster said not letting dogs drink or swim in the water, keeping them on a leash, and bringing your own clean water for them can help.
“Even if your dog doesn't drink the water, if they walk through that and they go home and then proceed to lick themselves clean afterwards, they can also ingest the poison that way,” she said.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has a map with all the hazardous areas, which can be found HERE. Warning signs will also be posted at beaches.
https://deq.utah.gov/water-quality/photo-examples-of-harmful-algal-blooms-habs
