Utah Lake’s toxic algae affecting Saratoga Springs secondary water, flowing into Jordan River
Algae is pictured on Friday, July 16, 2016, at Utah Lake in Provo. A recent algae bloom that officials say is one of the worst they have seen in years is affecting recreational activities in the area. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Algae is pictured on Friday, July 16, 2016, at Utah Lake in Provo. A recent algae bloom, that has officials saying it is one of the worst they have seen in years, is affecting recreational activities in the area. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Algae is pictured on Friday, July 16, 2016, at Utah Lake in Provo. A recent algae bloom, that has officials saying it is one of the worst they have seen in years, is affecting recreational activities in the area. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
State officials are reporting that the toxic algae bloom that struck Utah Lake last week has extended north into the Jordan River system.
Blooms have also reportedly formed in the lower Spanish Fork River, and algae has been detected in lower Little Cottonwood Creek.
The Salt Lake County Health Department reported Sunday that the Jordan River and all county canals are potentially unsafe for people or animals, according to information from the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Water, and presumably now algae, flows from Utah Lake into the Jordan River, en route to the Great Salt Lake.
State and Utah County officials on Friday closed Utah Lake to public use following the detection of high levels of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, a cyanobacteria that can release toxins affecting humans’ and animals’ brain, nervous system and liver functions.
At the time of the Utah Lake closure, officials announced the concentration of algal cells was three times the threshold needed to close a waterway — 10 million cells per milliliter of water. The bloom covers 90 percent of the lake.
Though the algal concentration in the Jordan River has not crossed the threshold of closing a waterway, samples showed the concentration of algae was three to 10 times higher than the 100,000 cells per milliliter threshold used to post warnings.
Salt Lake County and affected cities have posted warning signs at access points, alerting the public that toxic algae is present and that humans and animals should not use or drink the water. The signs extend from the Utah County border north to 4500 South in Taylorsville.
Water Usage
Although drinking water in Salt Lake County comes from a different source and is unaffected, Saratoga Springs has shut off secondary water for about 1,000 residences north of the old Saratoga Springs Resort.
“If people have water in their system, that water is safe for irrigation,” said Spencer Kyle, assistant city manager of Saratoga Springs.
No other city in Utah Valley has reported affected water sources.
Officials advise against using secondary water from the Jordan River to water lawns and gardens. Riverton, in Salt Lake County, has also shut down secondary water use. Oquirrh Lake in South Jordan, which is fed by Utah Lake, closed Monday afternoon.
“In addition to closing Oquirrh Lake, all water fed to the lake, Brookside Stream and water that is used to irrigate parks and open spaces in the Daybreak community has been shut off,” reads the press release issued Monday by Kennecott Land.
Erica Gaddis, assistant water quality director with the Department of Environmental Quality, said the bloom could move up the Jordan River to the Great Salt Lake and Farmington Bay. The Jordan River is being closely monitored as Gaddis and her team track the algal bloom all the way through Davis County.
Health effects
People who believe they may have symptoms from exposure to the algae are advised to call either their physician or the Utah Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222.
As of Sunday, poison control received 322 calls from people concerned about the health of either themselves or their pets. Exposure symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and skin rash.
The state environmental quality department reports that most people experiencing symptoms have been treated and released.
Effects on wildlife and livestock
Pet or livestock owners concerned about their animals are advised to contact their veterinarian. As of Sunday, officials were investigating the discovery of 100 dead ducks in a canal. It is an unusual number of dead birds, and officials are seeking to collect carcasses to determine a cause of death.
There were no significant fish kills in either Utah Lake or the Jordan River, but anglers were advised not to fish those waterways or consume catches after July 10.
Future prevention and treatment
Preventing algal blooms from happening again in the future means taking steps now to treat wastewater flowing into Utah Lake.
“The best solution is to reduce nutrient loading to the lake,” Gaddis said. “The largest source of nutrients to Utah Lake are from wastewater treatment plant discharges.
“Most of the facilities discharging to Utah Lake have not been upgraded to treat for nutrients. To do so will cause sewer rates to increase.”
But as Gaddis said, that is the core of the issue, and if treatment plants aren’t modernized, it could happen again. Of the handful of variables that cause algal blooms such as warm weather and stagnant water, nutrient concentration is the only variable that can be controlled.
Gaddis said the department recently purchased three lake-monitoring probes to track algal concentration in the lake. But they weren’t expecting a bloom until August or even September. The future use of these probes well help catch future blooms earlier before they grow out of hand.
Gaddis said it is unknown how long the bloom will stay in Utah Lake.
“[It’s] difficult to say,” she said. “Some blooms dissipate after a few days and others continue to bloom in cycles for weeks.”
