Toxic algae spark warnings at South Carolina lake. People and pets at risk
People are being warned to stay out of a small lake near Barnwell because toxic algae blooms are showing up at unsafe levels in the water.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control issued the warning Wednesday night after test results showed elevated levels of microcystins in the northern part of Lake Edgar Brown, the department said in a news release.
DHEC’s warning is not a routine occurrence for a South Carolina lake, but the agency said it’s necessary to protect people from exposure to microcystins that make algae toxic. State officials had received reports of foul odors and blue-green algae on the lake earlier in the summer, according to news accounts.
“Until further notice, no one should swim, wade or come into contact with the water or scum, foam or algae at Lake Edgar Brown,” said Bryan Rabon, DHEC’s manager of aquatic science programs.
The outbreak of toxic algae at Lake Brown is at least the fourth at a South Carolina lake this year. The state also has identified toxic algae blooms in Lake Wateree, a major recreational lake north of Columbia that had an outbreak last year; and the Bear Creek and Lancaster reservoirs near Lancaster, DHEC said in an email Thursday afternoon.
DHEC officials said they don’t know for sure what caused the outbreaks.
But warming water from climate change and polluted runoff from the land can contribute to toxic algae blooms during the summer. Lake Edgar Brown, for instance, has a history of algae problems resulting from an overabundance of phosphorous, the agency says.
At Lake Brown, state officials also are advising people not to eat fish caught there. DHEC says pets could be at risk if they swim in the water. The environmental agency and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources are posting signs warning of the threat.
Microcystins like those at Lake Brown are toxins produced by cyanobacteria, otherwise known as blue green algae. DHEC did not say what health effects might result from the microcystin outbreak, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says people exposed to the toxin can develop abdominal pain, headaches, sore throats, vomiting and nausea and diarrhea. The EPA says microcystins are potent liver toxins and possible human carcinogens.
Wednesday night’s advisory follows an outbreak of toxic algae on Lake Wateree in 2019. Last August, DHEC advised people against swimming in Lake Wateree after finding blooms of harmful algae in certain coves. That type of algae was associated with skin rashes.
The Lake Wateree and Lake Brown algae blooms are similar but the one in Lake Wateree forms dense mats on the water, DHEC said.
Lake Edgar Brown was established by a damming up a major creek in the 1960s near Barnwell, a small town about 60 miles southwest of Columbia. The nearly 100-acre lake is used recreationally for fishing and boating.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 6:40 AM with the headline "Toxic algae spark warnings at South Carolina lake. People and pets at risk."
