Utah, Aug. 11, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A health advisory applying to the whole of Utah Lake due to potentially harmful algal blooms has been lifted, though some areas still have advisories in effect, officials said Thursday.
“Utah Lake is open, warning advisory has been lifted,” said a tweet from Utah Lake. “Lincoln Beach is still closed. Provo Bay and Goshen Bay are still under warning advisory because algae blooms have been found in the shallow areas of these bays. The rest of the lake is open for recreation.”
Visitors to Provo Bay and Goshen Bay should follow the following guidelines:
- Do not swim or water ski
- Do not ingest the water
- Keep pets and livestock away
- Clean fish well and discard guts
- Avoid areas of scum when boating
“Harmful algal blooms occur when normally occurring cyanobacteria in the water multiply quickly to form visible colonies or blooms,” the Utah DEQ website says. “These blooms sometimes produce potent cyanotoxins that pose serious health risks to humans and animals.
“Although most algal blooms are not toxic, some types of cyanobacteria produce nerve or liver toxins. Toxicity is hard to predict in part because a single species of algae can have both toxic and non-toxic strains, and a bloom that tests nontoxic one day can be toxic the next.”
Symptoms of exposure include headache, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes allergic-like reactions from skin contact.
For concerns about possible human exposure, call the Utah Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222, or your physician.
For more information about algal blooms click here.
