Texas’s Austin Rivers and lakes in Austin have had their fair share of algae blooms and chemicals over the years.
A new study from BlueGreen Water Technologies around the world says that Lady Bird Lake had one of the worst blooms of 2023.
What does this mean for the neighborhood and the environment?
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Between a few hundred and a few thousand blooms are usual on Lady Bird Lake during the warmer months. Aside from that, something is floating on top of our water.
“The algae will be a green color, almost like neon green.” “It can be as thick as a mat,” Bluegreen Water Technologies’ President of the Americas, Jan Spin, said.
Spin is working for Bluegreen Water Technologies, a company that treats and protects water. During the summer, he says, this algae is usual to see. But the weather and times are changing.
“The season is getting longer and longer and we’re now seeing that algae blooms will remain resilient through the winter months,” stated Spin.
The company said in a new report that the algae bloom in 2023 is one of the eight worst in the world.
“We have scientists working on this all over the world.” “It’s a pretty big database,” Spin said.
A representative said the following for Austin’s Watershed Protection Department:
“It’s not clear to us what rules or data were used to make this list.” Many places have had to close their lakes to leisure because of harmful algae, but Austin has not had to do that. We are also not aware of any illnesses linked to harmful algae on our lakes this year.
“The harmful algae bloom is poisonous and can be found in both the water and the air.” It might hurt our organs. It might affect our nerves. “However, small animals like dogs and cats can die from high concentrations of it,” Spin said.
Some of the algae in Austin is said to have killed pets, which is a big reason why Spin says things need to change now.
A spokesperson for the Watershed Department said, “The City of Austin has been increasing our monitoring of the lakes, springs, and creeks. We work with other agencies to share data and knowledge.”
“The City of Austin takes the algae fairly, we believe, very seriously, because they’ve been monitoring it, working at it now for the last several years,” stated Spin. Some of the algae in Austin is said to have killed pets, which is why Spin says things need to change now.
A spokesperson for the Watershed Department said, “The City of Austin has been increasing our monitoring of the lakes, springs, and creeks. We work with other agencies to share data and knowledge.“
“The City of Austin takes the algae fairly, we believe, very seriously, because they’ve been monitoring it, working at it now for the last several years,” stated Spin.
Both agree that the most important thing is to keep toxins out of rivers.
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The Austin Watershed Protection Department is said to have made the following statement:
There is no information or measures that we can see that were used to make this list. In contrast to many other places, Austin has not had to close its lakes to leisure because of harmful algae. We are also unaware of any illnesses linked to harmful algae on our lakes this year. Mats of dangerous algae have indeed been in the Austin area since at least 2019. Lady Bird Lake was the first place where tests were done.