Grand County: Testing resumes at Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain, Granby, Willow Creek and Windy Gap reservoirs for cyanobacterial toxins
August 8, 2009
Cyanobacterial toxins are released by blue-green algae into surface waters. There is a risk to anyone that gets their supply from a reservoir where a bloom is present. Here’s a report from the Sky-Hi Daily News:
Cyanobacteria have been documented in the Three Lakes since the 1950s, though methods for detecting toxins only recently became available. In 2007, toxin levels were just above that which the World Health Organization says is safe for an adult to drink for a lifetime, and resulted in advisories to both drinking water and recreational users. As a precaution, in 2008, Grand County began weekly monitoring for cyanobacterial toxins from early July to September. Levels were very low throughout 2008…
Grand County, the Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Greater Grand Lake Shoreline Association, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Three Lakes Watershed Association, and Town of Grand Lake are sharing the costs of the sampling and analyses.
