The public should exercise caution after the Florida Department of Health reported a small presence of blue-green algae around an east dock on Lake Minnehaha near Dommerich Drive.
Types of blue-green algae appear in many freshwater lakes and marine environments across Florida. Activity often picks up during warm-weather months.
Blooms can produce toxins under certain conditions. Little is known about exactly what environmental conditions trigger toxin production. Over time, these toxins are diluted and eventually break down and disappear.
For this reason, it is important to exercise caution, as bloom conditions are dynamic and could change at any time. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) collects algae samples from reported bloom locations for toxin analysis.
Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions:
* It is not recommended to swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski or boat in waters with a visible algal bloom.
* In this area, avoid getting water in your eyes, nose, or mouth.
* Keep pets away from the water in this location.
* Eating fillets from healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe. Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water, throw out the guts and cook fish well. You should not eat shellfish from this location.