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When water temperatures rise and certain nutrients are available, some bodies of water produce cyanobacteria which can produce harmful algal bloom (HABs). These blooms may pose health risks to humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife.
- Blooms can vary in appearance, sometimes looking like mats, foam, or surface scum — especially near the shoreline. Blooms can range in color from blue and bright green to brown and red. Some blooms produce a foul odor.
- Blooms can occur at any time, but they most often occur in late summer or early fall.
HABs happens when excessive cyanobacteria growth takes place, which has the potential to produce toxins. Abundant nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), sunny conditions, warm temperatures, and low-flow or low-water conditions can contribute to algal blooms.
Understanding HAB Health Advisories
- When a HAB is suspected, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will collect a water sample and send it to a lab for analysis. If the cyanobacteria level is too high, DEQ will issue a Health Advisory.
- If an advisory is issued, the entire water body is unsafe for recreational use because algae blooms are known to be very patchy in nature and higher densities may be present in areas not surveyed, particularly along shorelines. Harmful algal blooms can change with wind direction and temperature.
- Regardless of whether a health advisory is in effect, avoid contact with water whenever surface concentrations of cyanobacteria are evident or when the lake has scum with an obvious green to blue-green appearance. If the water looks questionable, the best advice is “when in doubt, stay out.”
Protect Your Family, Pets and Community
- Avoid exposure to water experiencing a HAB. Take extra precautions to ensure children, pets and livestock are not exposed to the water. Exposure may occur from ingestion, skin contact, or inhalation.
- Anyone with symptoms should seek medical attention. If you experience mild irritation, rinse with clean water immediately.
- If your pet is exposed to a bloom, rinse them with clean, fresh water immediately. If severe symptoms occur, call a veterinarian immediately.
- Do not consume water with a HAB. Boiling and disinfecting will not remove toxins from water.
- Take precautions for hunting and fishing. If fish are known to have been exposed to HAB, only consume the fillet portion (remove the fat, organs, and skin and rinse with clean water) and wash your hands after handling. For hunting, be sure to clean waterfowl well (discard all guts and rinse the meat with clean water) and wash your hands after handling.
- Report Potential HABs. You can help keep your family and community safe by reporting potentially harmful algal blooms in Idaho to DEQ:
DEQ – Bloom Watch Reporting
What Are the Symptoms of HAB Exposure?
The most common health effects are skin and eye irritation. Symptoms in humans and pets can occur within minutes of exposure but may take as long as 36 hours to develop depending on the toxin and its concentration. Anyone with severe symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.
- Difficulty breathing
- Stomach pain, nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Numbness and tingling in lips, fingers, and toes
Call your pet’s veterinarian immediately if your pet has been around an algal bloom and shows symptoms such as vomiting, staggering, drooling or convulsions.
CONTACT
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Environmental Health
208-327-7499
Ada & Boise Counties 208-375-7499
Elmore County 208-587-4407
Valley County 208-634-7194
