UTAH, Aug. 20, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Division of Environmental Quality — Water Quality is warning people about algal blooms, harmful to people and pets, and more than a dozen water bodies.
Utah officials test water quality in dozens of lakes and reservoirs state wide, and this week, 13 tested positive for harmful algal blooms, which can cause illness if the water is ingested. See an interactive map of the water bodies here.
“Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae or harmful algae, aren’t actually algae,” says an explanation on the DEQ website. Rather, they are aquatic bacteria that photosynthesize like a plant.
“Cyanobacteria naturally live in every water body in the world. A HAB, or harmful algal bloom, occurs when cyanobacteria multiply quickly to form a ‘bloom’ or visible colonies of millions of cells. Sometimes the cyanobacteria that form these blooms can produce toxins which cause illness and can damage the human kidney, liver, or neurologic system. Pets and livestock are more likely to drink water and be hurt by these toxins.”
See the current list of affected water bodies below:
Box Elder County
- Mantua Reservoir, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
Uintah County
- Matt Warner Reservoir, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
- Crouse Reservoir, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
- Steinaker Reservoir, health watch, harmful algae may be present
Wasatch County
- Deer Creek Reservoir, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
Utah County
- Highland Glen Reservoir, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
- Manila Creek Pond, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
- Upper Jordan River, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
- Utah Lake, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
- Payson Lakes, health watch, harmful algae may be present
Carbon County
- Scofield Reservoir, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
Juab and Sanpete Counties
- Yuba Lake, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
Paiute County
- Otter Creek Reservoir, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
Garfield County
- Calf Creek, health watch, harmful algae may be present
- Panguitch Lake, warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
Washington County
- LaVerkin Creek, health watch, harmful algae may be present
- Left and Right Forks of North Creek (including ‘the Subway’, Zion NP), warning advisory, harmful algae bloom is present
