harmful cyanobacterial blooms

The Sublette County lake turned red last year, leaving water quality managers stumped. Now, they think it’s because of a nontoxic native algae.

Dolphins in Florida that became beached during cyanobacterial blooms showed signs of a version of Alzheimer’s that could be tied to neurotoxins found in the blooms. Similar blooms plague many Wyoming waters.

In the past month,

Swimming or any similar contact with the water has the potential to make you, pets or livestock sick. If you, a pet or livestock touches the algae, rinse off with clean water as soon as possible.

Harmful cyanobacteria blooms can pose a health risk to people and animals. Avoid contact and don’t drink the water.

A beloved fishing lake near Pinedale now has no fish. To top it off, the entire lake turned red a couple months ago, and land managers and biologists don’t know exactly why. WyoFile’s Mike Koshmrl first reported on this in early December and gives us a debrief.

Cyanobacteria are still blooming in Wyoming’s lakes and reservoirs, even as autumn starts to bring temperatures below freezing. These blooms can be a real threat to pets and livestock.

State authorities are reminding residents to be on the lookout for cyanobacterial blooms, sometimes called blue-green algae, when visiting lakes or reservoirs this summer.

Harmful algal blooms are a major issue in water bodies across our region, and can be toxic to humans and animals. Some scientists have started using satellites to keep a better eye on them.

Seemingly more bodies of water in Wyoming are being affected by harmful algal blooms, but some experts say that might not be the case.