FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – Blue-green algae are once again invading Doctors Lake, leaving parts of the lake looking bright green.
The Clay County Health Department said blue-green algae has the potential to produce harmful toxins. The Health Department is advising people who live on the lake and visitors to the lake to take precautions which include:
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• Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, or come into contact with waters where there is a visible bloom.
• Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you have any contact with algae, or discolored or water that smells unpleasant.
• Keep pets and livestock away from the area to avoid any contact with water. Waters where algae blooms are present are not safe for animals. Pets and livestock should use an alternative source of water when algae blooms are present.
• Do not cook or clean dishes with water contaminated by algae blooms. Boiling the water will not eliminate toxins.
• Eating fillets from healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe. Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water, throw out the guts, and cook fish thoroughly.
• Do not eat shellfish in waters with algae blooms
News4JAX Meteorologist Mark Collins said this type of algae bloom is more prevalent during the summer.
“What’s in the water is actually a floating plant. It’s like a phytoplankton—the basis of the food chain. When nutrients are in the water, it thrives on it and can multiply and have these blooms. How did those nutrients get into the water? Fertilizer. Septic tanks that are not hooked up properly. All that leaches into the water. It’s called nutrification. That process puts too many nutrients in there and creates these blooms,” Collins said
According to environmental experts, the algae not only turns the water green and slimy but also smelly.
“It’s pea soup. It’s just a mess out there right now,” said St. Johns Riverkeepers spokesperson Lisa Rinaman.
Riverkeepers is a river watchdog group that fights to keep the river clean of contaminants. Rinaman said the blue-green algae bloom is nothing to play with.
“You don’t want to touch it. You don’t want to breathe it. A boat wake can stir up the toxins and make them airborne, so you want to stir clear of it. You don’t want to swim in it. You don’t want to eat fish in it because it can be highly toxic,” said Rinaman.
She said those symptoms can include skin irritation if the water comes into contact with your skin. Respiratory stress if you breathe in the toxins and an upset stomach if you ingest the water. According to Rinaman, long-term impacts include neurological issues as well as liver damage
News4JAX spoke with boater David Taylor at the Lake Shore Boat Ramp at Doctors Lake, which is one of several locations where blue-green algae was detected. Taylor had just finished boating and fishing on the lake. He disagreed with the warning from the health department.
“I don’t see a problem with it. So far, I have not had any health problems and I’m an old guy,” Taylor said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s here every year and I’ve seen it way worse and way better. It’s there but I don’t think it is as big a problem or environmental issue as the news is making it, but at the same time, what am I to say?”
According to environmental experts, nature will have to run its course before the water is back to normal.