The Tonto National Forest Service has urged those visiting Apache Lake to take precautions when recreating in the water after an algae bloom was discovered.
During a routine sampling at Apache Lake, Arizona Game and Fish Department officials noticed a change in the water’s color where the riverine section was bright green, the Tonto National Forest Service said in a Facebook post.
A water quality specialist at the Game and Fish Department analyzed a sample of the lake water and found dolichospermum, a cyanobacteria which is a human health concern.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Equality recommended visitors avoid contact and ingestion of the water and it urged children and pets to stay away from the algae in the water and on shore. Visitors were urged to not eat any fish, drink any water, or use Apache Lake water for cooking until the bloom dissipates.
The National Forest Service said that previous blooms have lasted one or two weeks, but they were unsure how long the bloom would affect Apache Lake.
ADEQ said visitors should be aware of areas of the lake that look like pea soup or spilled green paint, discolorations or streaks in the water, surface scum, mats or films, and areas where green dots appear to be floating beneath the surface as those areas are likely to be affected by an algae bloom.
Apache Lake is open to the public, but the Tonto National Forest encouraged visitors to take precautions when recreating in the water.
Source: AZ Central May 30th. Article by Wren Smetana
