Longmont officials announced Friday that “potentially harmful blue-green algae blooms have been identified at Golden Ponds.”
City staff said in a news release that while swimming, boating and wading are prohibited at Golden Ponds Nature Area, 2651 Third Ave., fishing is allowed there.
“Visitors should exercise caution while fishing and follow state recommendations to clean any caught fish thoroughly,” said Longmont spokesman Rigo Leal.
While visitors might be tempted to dip their toes or allow their pets to play in the water during unseasonably hot weather, visitors and residents should keep children and pets out of the water in any areas where algae blooms are observed, Leal said.
Staff visually inspected Longmont’s Union Reservoir, 461 Weld County Road 26, for potentially toxic algae, and found no evidence of a bloom. Union Reservoir remains open for swimming, fishing and boating.
Officials said in the release blue-green algae can produce toxins called cyanotoxins that can be harmful to humans and animals. These algae occur naturally in aquatic ecosystems and can appear rapidly in the summer in slow moving water such as lakes and ponds when the weather is hot.
Some species can produce cyanotoxins during algal blooms which can be harmful at elevated levels if ingested by dogs and humans or during wading or other recreational contact. The toxicity of a blue-green algae bloom is difficult to predict because a single species can have toxic and non-toxic strains, and toxic strains do not always produce toxins.
The St. Vrain River, with its flowing water, is less susceptible to such blooms.
Officials said Union Reservoir is the only reservoir where swimming is allowed in Longmont. Swimming in other bodies of water like those at Golden Ponds, Izaak Walton Nature Area at 18 Sunset St., Jim Hamm Nature Area at 1701 E. County Line Road and Sandstone Ranch at 3001 Colo. 119 is never allowed.
Lake McIntosh in northwest Longmont allows carry-on, non-motorized boats only. That includes canoes, kayaks, belly boats, sailboats and other small boats. Inner tubes are not allowed and swimming is prohibited at all times.
Longmont staff said many cities across the Front Range are finding blue-green algae in their lakes and ponds. Longmont is monitoring reports of it and will provide additional notices if any is found.
Longmont officials said the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, says harmful algae blooms often have the following characteristics:
• They may look like thick pea soup or spilled paint on the water’s surface.• They can create a thick mat of foam along the shoreline.• They usually are green or blue-green, although they can be brown, purple or white.• They sometimes are made up of small specks or blobs floating just at or below the water’s surface
Longmont staff said harmful algae blooms are not long, stringy bright green grass strands that feel either slimy or cottony, and they are not mustard yellow in color.
More information about blue-green algae blooms can be found on a city website, bit.ly/LongmontAlgaeBlooms.
