What are the concerns associated with blue-green algae?
Concerns associated with blue-green algae include discolored water, reduced light penetration, taste and odor problems, dissolved oxygen depletions during die-off, and toxin production. Discolored water is an aesthetic issue, but when blue-green algae reach bloom densities, they can actually reduce light penetration, which can adversely affect other aquatic organisms both directly (e.g., other phytoplankton and aquatic plants) and indirectly (e.g., zooplankton and fish that depend on phytoplankton and plants). Blue-green algae blooms can be quite smelly, and though it is recommended that people never drink raw water, blue-green algae have been known to affect the taste of drinking water that comes from surface waters experiencing a bloom. Here in Wisconsin, most of the state relies on groundwater, rather than surface water, for drinking water. When a blue-green algae bloom dies off, the blue-green algae cells sink and are broken down by microbes.
Concerns associated with blue-green algae include discolored water, reduced light penetration, taste and odor problems, dissolved oxygen depletions during die-off, and toxin production. Discolored water is an aesthetic issue, but when blue-green algae reach bloom densities, they can actually reduce light penetration, which can adversely affect other aquatic organisms both directly (e.g., other phytoplankton and aquatic plants) and indirectly (e.g., zooplankton and fish that depend on phytoplankton and plants). Blue-green algae blooms can be quite smelly, and though it is recommended that people never drink raw water, blue-green algae have been known to affect the taste of drinking water that comes from surface waters experiencing a bloom. Here in Wisconsin, most of the state relies on groundwater, rather than surface water, for drinking water. When a blue-green algae bloom dies off, the blue-green algae cells sink and are broken down by microbes. This breakdown process requires oxygen
