Utah’s Outdoor News 8-24-18

How to use algal blooms to your benefit

In the news this week Lindon Marina tested positive for high levels of cyanobacteria cell concentrations aka algal bloom. Several news station's rushed to the lake to take pictures of the algal bloom. Guess what, there were none. So they had to show pictures of the algal bloom warning signs or show stock footage of algal bloom's from the past. Where did the algal bloom go? Also why didn't they report the water was clear? Before I answer these questions we need to understand how algal blooms occur, and the testing that is done to confirm them. Algal blooms happen in shallow water after several days of high temperatures and low winds. The algal blooms are usually isolated to small portions of the lake. State workers and a group of volunteers take samples of lake water several times a summer then send the samples to a lab at the University of Utah. The span from sample to test confirmation generally takes about 10 days.  About two weeks ago we had an algal bloom pop up inside the marina at Lindon Marina. The water was tested and was confirmed to be an algal bloom. Although soon after the test sample was taken, several storm systems came in and cleared out the algal bloom. Fast forward a week after the bloom is cleared out, the press release comes out and warning signs are posted. By now the algal bloom is long gone, but the news isn't going to report on that. As a outdoor hobbyist, knowing this information can be very beneficial to you. For instance, due to the warnings, Lindon Marina isn't currently charging visitors for entry. They won't stop anyone from entering the marina &  neither will the county. If you go to the Lindon Marina right now you're likely to have a fishing or boating spot all to your self. I'm not trying to say that algal blooms aren't dangerous, but they are easy to spot. If the water is clear there is no algal bloom and you should be safe to enter. If there is a big nasty green film all over the water, then stay out of that area. Like I said before generally these blooms only happen on small portions of the lake, so avoiding the bloom shouldn't be difficult. The current lab testing for algal blooms isn't going to speed up anytime soon. If you see on the news there was an algal bloom around the time of a storm system coming through. Instead of avoiding that area of the lake, run there for some solitude.