The City of Reno is advising residents and their pets to avoid all contact with the water of Virginia Lake for at least the next two months. The lake water is contaminated as a result of an algae bloom, a common occurrence for the lake during the warm summer months.
City of Reno Parks and Recreation staff posted caution signs in English and Spanish around the Virginia Lake perimeter last summer, and these signs are still in place.
The combined drought-induced low-water condition, high phosphorus levels, and extremely low flow/circulation has created the ideal conditions for a blue-green algae bloom. The presence of the algae promotes the growth of a class of toxins known as cyanotoxins.
There is a high risk of potentially harmful concentration of these toxins, which is a significant concern for the public’s health, as well as for pets, fish, birds, and mammals, especially when ingested.
“We want to remind the community that the City of Reno does not have control over the water flows,” Reno Parks and Recreation Director Jaime Schroeder said. “Due to the drought and the low level of the water in the Truckee River, water entering the Cochran ditch is reduced, so we are unable to properly circulate Virginia Lake.”
For more information about cyanobacteria/cyanotoxins, visit the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.
The Virginia Lake algae bloom is unrelated to recent area botulism outbreaks that have been suspected by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
(City of Reno)
