RALEIGH – As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) reminds the public to avoid contact with discolored water that could indicate the presence of an algal bloom.
Algae are naturally occurring in all waterbodies. Algae are the base of the food web that supports aquatic organisms and our state’s fisheries. However, certain environmental conditions can cause rapid algal cell growth, leading to algal blooms. These conditions include increased nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), elevated temperatures, increased sunlight and low or no water flow.
Certain algae can create toxins that can lead to adverse health effects in humans, pets and aquatic organisms. Blooms with excessive growth that could potentially cause negative impacts to people, animals or the environment are called harmful algal blooms (HABS). HABS cannot be identified simply by looking at a bloom…