Toxic Algae
Lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams are critical sources of drinking water for millions of Americans. They also provide recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat.
Now many of these water bodies are threatened by a growing phenomenon known as algae blooms, fueled largely by polluted runoff from farms and exacerbated by climate change. Algae blooms wreak havoc on ecosystems, and the cyanobacteria that make up these outbreaks sometimes produce poisonous byproducts called cyanotoxins. Ingestion of or even just exposure to these toxins has been associated with many human health issues, ranging from diarrhea to cancer, as well as with pet and wildlife deaths.
Currently, no government agency publicly tracks toxic algae outbreaks nationally. To fill this gap and help policymakers and consumers understand and quantify the impact of toxic algae blooms on drinking water, recreation, public health and the environment, EWG is monitoring and mapping all related news reports across the U.S. since 2010.
If you see algae that is bluish-green or looks like pea soup in a lake or other water body, contact the local health department to let them know and have it tested for toxins. You can also reach out to local media to try to get coverage of the issue.
Check out our map here.
View photos of algae blooms here.
Map of Algae Blooms Across the U.S.
Click on the below image to see an interactive map of where all algae blooms have occurred since 2010.
As some COVID-19 shutdowns now stretch into their fifth month, and with record-setting temperatures blanketing the U.S., cooped-up Americans may be hankering for water-centric recreation. But those with pet dogs may want to leave them at home to protect them from the growing problem of toxic algae outbreaks – and to stay out of the water themselves.
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Toxic algae outbreaks – slimy, smelly blooms of microorganisms, triggered by polluted farm runoff into lakes and rivers – can cause nausea, vomiting and more serious, longer-term health impacts, such as liver failure and cancer, in people exposed through recreational contact or drinking water.
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With summer beginning and millions of Americans experiencing what feels like the thousandth week of quarantine, enjoying the outdoors is one of the few ways many of us can escape the claustrophobia and drudgery of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Army Corps of Engineers just opened a huge flood management structure to relieve the swollen Mississippi River, which could cause a recurrence of a huge toxic algae bloom along the Gulf Coast, potentially affecting fisheries, recreation and ecosystems.
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Studies of the health hazards of toxic algae blooms have focused largely on the danger of direct contact with contaminated water in lakes, rivers and the ocean. Now a new study shows that even airborne exposure to the bacteria from a toxic bloom could also pose a risk.
Read MoreFlorida health officials are warning of an unusually early outbreak of blue-green algae on the Caloosahatchee River, a popular tourist area on the state’s southwestern Gulf Coast.
Read MoreEWG has found 508 news reports about algae blooms in the country’s lakes, ponds and rivers so far this year – 18 percent more than the 429 we found in the same period last year.
Read MoreA record-breaking number of potentially toxic algae blooms have plagued bodies of water across the country this summer. According to our map, which tracks news stories of algae blooms, as of August 27, 354 algae outbreaks have occurred in 41 states. That’s 65 more bloom stories than the 289 that had occurred by this time last year.
Read MoreLast week, Melissa Martin and Denise Mintz took their dogs – Abby, Harpo and Lizzy – for a swim in a pond near their home in Wilmington, N.C. Within hours, the dogs grew sick and died, apparent victims of poisoning from toxic algae blooms.
Read MoreOutbreaks of potentially toxic algae are fouling lakes, rivers and other bodies of water across the U.S. Nationally, news reports on algae outbreaks have been on the rise since 2010.
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Microcystins are poisonous toxins that can form in blooms of blue-green algae. In recent years, algae blooms – actually microscopic bacteria called cyanobacteria – have erupted in hundreds of lakes nationwide, putting at risk Americans whose drinking water comes from those lakes, or who swim, ski or fish in them. If ingested, microcystins can cause adverse health effects in people and animals, ranging from skin rashes to serious illness and even death.
Read MoreIn 2011, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., fell “deathly sick” from a severe upper respiratory illness after swimming in a lake infected with toxic algae. Inhofe, a notorious science-denying patron of corporate polluters, laughed it off as “the environment strikes back.”
Read MoreFederal and state tests have found dangerous toxins, common in outbreaks of blue-green algae, in hundreds of lakes, rivers and other bodies of water nationwide – yet authorities are doing little to notify and protect Americans, according to a new analysis and map from the Environmental Working Group.
Read MoreOver the Fourth of July holiday, many of us love to beat the heat in a favorite lake, pond or river. But this year, vacationers from coast to coast will have to look out for a potentially record-breaking number of algae blooms.
Read MoreWith peak toxic algae bloom season underway, the Environmental Working Group is releasing an updated map of all algae outbreaks reported in the U.S. since 2010. In coming months, the map will be updated weekly, providing comprehensive tracking of this growing nationwide hazard.
Read MoreToxic algae blooms are a growing epidemic, polluting lakes and other waterways across the U.S., as a 2018 EWG report revealed. They can occur any time, but they thrive when water is warmer, usually from May through October.
Read MorePrivate wells across Iowa are contaminated with unsafe levels of two agricultural contaminants, according to an investigation by the Environmental Working Group and the Iowa Environmental Council.
Read MoreAcross America, outbreaks of toxic algae, triggered by polluted farm runoff, are increasing in frequency and severity, fouling drinking water with dangerous toxins. In 2014, an algae outbreak in Lake Erie contaminated the tap water for 500,000 people in and around Toledo, Ohio, rendering it unsafe to drink for three days.
Read MoreUnregulated animal factory farms are funneling nutrient-rich pollution into Lake Erie, feeding an enormous toxic algae bloom each summer, according to a new investigation by the Environmental Working Group and the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
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