25 Oct 2013

Algal bloom prompts health warning

1:36 pm on 25 October 2013

Health warnings have been issued for two Otago lakes as the region's first algal blooms of the summer take hold.

The Otago Regional Council says mats of green algae have formed at Lake Waihola on the Taieri Plain and to a lesser extent at Tomahawk Lagoon in Dunedin.

A sample of the potentially toxic algae.

A sample of the potentially toxic algae. Photo: OTAGO REGIONAL COUNCIL

The council says water samples show the algae is a plant called Anabaena, which can produce toxins, make people ill and kill animals.

However, it says it will not be known how toxic the water is until tests are done next week.

The council is warning people to avoid contact with Lake Waihola and Tomahawk Lagoon over the long weekend and keep their animals away.

Last summer, recurring algal blooms in both lakes put them out of bounds several times.