Advisories and warnings are usually issued and signposted at the affected waterways if toxins are detected and exceed allowable limits. Advisories will alert you to the severity of the bloom and will be updated regularly as to if the water should be avoided or is safe. Here are the usual precautions to follow if toxic blue-green algae is detected: Avoid using the water. This means avoid swimming, bathing, or showering and do not allow children, pets, or livestock to drink or swim in the water.
Avoid drinking the water. The toxins cannot be removed by boiling, filtering or treating the water with camping-style filters. Boiling the water may in fact release more toxins into the water. Avoid cooking with the water because food may absorb toxins from the water during cooking. Exercise caution with respect to eating fish caught in water where blue-green algal blooms occur. You should not eat the liver, kidneys, and other organs of fish caught in the water.
Do not treat the water with a disinfectant like bleach. This may break open algae cells and release toxins into the water. http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/306-blue-green-algae-cyanobacteria-and-how-it-can-harm-your-dog
Thanks for the info. This is the best, most concise info I have seen so far regarding water utilization, and solutions.
While some may say the crisis was not serious, it could have been and it could affect other bodies of water. The local radio said that they were expecting this bloom in Sept, so an incident may happen in the future.
Oregon is a suburb of Toledo that was not affected by the ban, primarily because of $10k (more precise) testing equipment.
Toxin tests vary
May be why Oregon was able to treat early
http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2014/08/04/Toxin-tests-vary-may-be-why-Oregon-was-able-to-treat-early.html
Excerpt:
But part of the problem with managing the algae toxin is that while minuscule concentrations have been deemed dangerous for drinking, the testing is imprecise, and lake conditions can be variable within small areas and short time periods, the Oregon plant superintendent said.
Snip
While the cost of equipping its own lab for the microcystin testing was $10,000, “that investment is definitely paying off,” said Paul Roman, the city’s director of public service.