Recreational Advisory for Cannelton and McAlpine pools of Ohio River lifted after results below advisory level

The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) and the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) are removing the recreational use advisory for the Cannelton and McAlpine pools of the Ohio River, effective immediately. Results from recent samplings by DOW indicate the levels of microcystin toxin occurring in this area of the river are below the advisory threshold for recreating in the water.

The recreational advisory issued for this section of the river above the Cannelton Locks and Dam to the Markland Lock and Dam on Sept. 18, 2015, was prompted by the presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on the river. The advisory was issued when water sampling results showed levels above the DOW recreational threshold of 20 parts per billion of microcystin toxins. The recreational advisory remains from the Markland Lock and Dam to the West Virginia state line. The DOW and DPH are continuing to coordinate with states along the river and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) to monitor conditions on the Ohio River.

Harmful Algal Bloom recreational advisory issued for the Ohio River and tributaries

Advisory area stretches from W. Va. Line to Markland Dam

The Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW) and the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) are re-issuing a harmful algal bloom (HAB) recreational advisory for the Ohio River, extending the advisory downstream from the West Virginia state line to the Markland Dam located 3.5 miles downstream from Warsaw, Ky.

Water swallowed during recreational activities in this body of water may increase the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Skin, eye and throat irritation and/or breathing difficulties may also occur after contact.

Visit Kentucky’s new Water Health Portal

Have you ever wondered about the health of a stream? Is it safe to swim in or eat fish from a particular body of water? The new Water Health Portal provides answers to those questions.

Accessing information is easy. Just go to http://watermaps.ky.gov/ and select Water Health Portal. Type in your location, click on a stream, and learn about the health of the water. Easily identifiable color-coded icons
indicate whether a stream or lake supports a particular use, such as swimming, fishing and drinking.

Division of Water to monitor Kentucky’s waters for Harmful Algal Blooms

HAB on Lake Reba in Madison County in 2014. Division of Water photo

As warm weather arrives, recreational use of Kentucky’s waterways increases. For the last few years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) have monitored the state’s water for algal blooms.

Algal blooms, and the algae that form them, occur naturally in the water. Factors promoting algal growth include a combination of sunlight, warm water temperatures, low turbulence, and elevated nutrient levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. These nutrients can come from many sources including crops, pastures, and urban and industrial areas. The resulting harmful algal blooms, or HABs, are likely the result of heavy spring rains that wash the excess nutrients into the lakes.

Department for Environmental Protection develops Fact Sheets about Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Fact Sheets discuss causes and effects, strategies for managing and treating of HABs

The occurrence of harmful algal blooms in the United States became national news this August when Toledo, Ohio’s public water system and its 400,000+ customers were without water for several days as a result of a harmful algal bloom. In 2013 and 2014, monitoring of Kentucky lakes by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) confirmed the presence of algal blooms.

Some of these blooms were present at levels exceeding the World Health Organization recommended safety thresholds and were considered potentially harmful. As the occurrence of HABs becomes more prevalent and a bigger part of environmental and public health discussion, the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection has developed Fact Sheets that provide background on what HABs are, what causes HABs, and the problems and effects associated with HABs including recreational concerns, water treatment challenges and public health impacts.

Division of Water lifts Harmful Algal Bloom Advisory for six Kentucky Lakes

Division of Water advises lake users to continue to use caution

Sampling conducted by the Division of Water (DOW) in October found that cyanobacteria cell counts in several Kentucky lakes with user advisories relating to harmful algal blooms (HABs) were below 100,000 cells/mL. The DOW is removing the “caution” advisory for Beaver Lake (Anderson Co.), Greenbrier Creek Reservoir (Montgomery County), Guist Creek Lake (Shelby Co.), Long Run Lake and McNeely Lake (Jefferson Co.), and Reformatory Lake (Oldham Co.). However, as HABs can disappear and recur over a fairly short period the DOW continues to advise people using all natural waters to observe the conditions of the water and avoid contact with waters that appear to have harmful algae growth or other conditions that may indicate contamination of that water.

Potentially Harmful algal blooms identified in several Kentucky lakes

Division of Water advises lake visitors to make informed decisions

The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have confirmed the presence of potentially harmful algal blooms (HABs), or cyanobacteria at levels exceeding recommended safety thresholds at several lakes in Kentucky. These lakes include Guist Creek Lake, Willisburg Lake, Carpenters Lake and Beaver Lake.

This past June, DOW released similar warnings about harmful algal blooms at Barren River Lake, Nolin Reservoir, Green River Lake, Rough River Lake, Taylorsville Lake and Greenbriar Creek Reservoir in Montgomery County. Advisories for all of these lakes and reservoirs are still in effect.

Algal blooms at Nolin River Lake prompt recreation advisory

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is cautioning recreational users of Nolin River Lake, located in Edmonson, Grayson and Hart counties, about potentially harmful contact with a bloom of blue-green algae, which has been detected in the lake water. The algal bloom is capable of producing toxins that can be harmful to small children, those who are ill and animals.

Algal blooms at Barren River Lake prompt recreation advisory

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is cautioning recreational users of Barren River Lake, located in Allen, Barren and Munroe counties in south-central Kentucky, about potentially harmful contact with a bloom of blue-green algae that has been detected in the lake water. The algal bloom is capable of producing toxins that can be harmful to small children, those with illness and animals.

Blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria, which fall into the category of harmful algal blooms (HABs), were also recently found to be growing in Taylorsville Lake and Rough River Lake at levels that prompted a similar advisory. The more typical green algae, which is not harmful to humans or animals, come in many forms and may look like underwater moss, stringy mats or floating scum. Cyanobacteria, on the other hand, looks like slicks of opaque, bright-green paint, but closer inspection often reveals the grainy, sawdust-like appearance of individual colonies of bacteria. The color of the algae may also appear as red or brown.

Algal blooms at Rough River Lake prompt recreation advisory

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is cautioning recreational users of Rough River Lake, located in Breckinridge and Grayson counties, about potentially harmful contact with a bloom of blue-green algae, which has been detected in the lake water. The algal bloom is capable of producing toxins that can be harmful to small children, those with illness and animals.

Blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria, which fall into the category of harmful algal blooms (HABs), were also recently found to be growing in Taylorsville Lake, located mainly in Spencer County, at levels that prompted a similar advisory. The more typical green algae, which is not harmful to humans or animals, come in many forms and may look like underwater moss, stringy mats or floating scum. Cyanobacteria, on the other hand, looks like