A toxic algal bloom has been identified in Lake Powell, a popular lake in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The National Park Service has urged visitors to proceed with caution and avoid the water, despite the lake’s popularity with boaters and swimmers. The NPS said that the bloom was identified by dangerously high levels of cyanotoxins in the water, which can wipe out local marine populations. For humans, exposure to cyanotoxins can cause severe liver and kidney damage, and in extreme cases, death. Algal blooms, the NPS explained, can be caused by warming water and the addition of certain nutrients from outside sources, which the NPS says can include agricultural and lawn runoff due to the chemicals present in pesticides and fertilizers. The NPS states that climate change has led to an increase in the number and duration of harmful algal blooms, which were last observed in the recreation area just last fall. Bloom control is possible, but controversial due to concerns about its potential downstream effects on the marine ecosystem. The best way to avoid harm, the Environmental Protection Agency explains, is to avoid exposure to the algae, which is harmful when it is accidentally ingested or inhaled.
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