Water regulators are warning Californians to avoid contact with water containing blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria.
The harmful algal blooms are occurring all over the state - in San Luis Reservoir, Lake Shasta and Oroville, coastal and inland areas and even in the Sierra. Greg Gearhart with the State Water Resources Control Board says it’s particularly bad this year because the drought is providing perfect conditions.
“Every summer the water tends to warm up, but if there’s less snowmelt and there’s less groundwater inclusion in our runoff we don’t have as much cold water and so we get warmer water and then we also get concentrating effects of some of the nutrients in our water bodies so the blooms take off,” Gearhart said.
The algae can produce toxins that are dangerous to humans and pets if ingested. It is not affecting drinking water systems.
This story was produced by Capital Public Radio.