A blue-green algae advisory has been put in place for Lower Therien Lake.
The lake located southwest of St. Paul has been found to host Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in the water. All residents living near the shores of this lake, as well as visitors to this lake, are advised to take the following precautions:
- Avoid all contact with cyanobacterial blooms. If contact occurs, wash with tap water as soon as possible.
- Do not swim or wade or allow your pets to swim or wade in any areas where cyanobacteria is visible.
- Do not feed whole fish or fish trimmings from this lake to your pets.
- Consider limiting human consumption of whole fish and fish trimmings from this lake, as it is known that fish may store toxins in their liver. (People can safely consume fish fillets from this lake).
- Do not use water contaminated with cyanobacteria to water edible plants. This is particularly important for plants with edible parts exposed to the ground surface (such as cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and other salad vegetables).
Cyanobacteria is naturally occurring and often becomes visible when weather conditions are calm. It will appear like scum, grass clippings, fuzz, or globs on the surface of water, cyanobacteria can be blue-green, greenish-brown, brown, and/or pinkish-red, and often smell musty or grassy.
People who come in contact with or drink the water could experience skin irritation, rash, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea and vomiting and/or diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours and resolve in one to two days but could be fatal to pets.
The advisory will remain in effect for Lower Therien Lake, until further notice.
