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Algal bloom warning advisory lifted for Saratoga Springs Marina

Algal bloom warning advisory lifted for Saratoga Springs Marina

(Utah Department of Environmental Quality)


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SARATOGA SPRINGS — The warning advisory for algal blooms at Saratoga Springs Marina was lifted Monday by the Utah County Health Department after samples showed toxin levels were "well below the recreation health-based threshold," according to a statement from Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

The advisory was the state's first of the year, issued June 5 after test results of water collected at the marina came back showing levels of microcystin — the harmful toxin produced by the algal blooms — higher than the allowed threshold.

Samples collected from the water by the Utah Division of Water Quality on June 5 and June 13 showed microcystin levels had fallen below the threshold. Guidelines for the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health say an advisory can be lifted after two weeks of data shows the hazard has passed.

In a statement released when the advisory was issued, Division of Water Quality officials said samples collected from two locations near the Saratoga Springs Marina on May 30 may have cyanobacteria based on the blue-green algae spotted there. Another sample was taken at Lindon Marina Beach on the east end of Utah Lake at the same time.

The samples were taken to the Utah Public Health Lab, and it was determined the Saratoga Springs Marina picnic area “significantly exceeded the recreation health-based threshold for a Warning Advisory for microcystin,” state officials said. The results were 375 times more than the advisory level.

According to the Utah Department of Health, microcystin can affect the liver. Symptoms of exposure include vomiting, diarrhea and headaches. Contact with harmful algal blooms can also cause eye irritation, rash or hives. Symptoms in pets may include weakness, fatigue, difficulty breathing and vomiting.

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Lauren Bennett is a reporter with KSL.com who covers Utah’s religious community and the growing tech sector in the Beehive State.

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