Warm weather prompts harmful algae blooms

Harmful algae bloom in Wyoming's Wheatland Reservoir.(KCWY)

CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - After the hot summer Wyoming has experienced this year, folks need to be on the lookout for algae blooms.

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, thrives in warm, stagnant water. It often appears this time of year and can be found as late as November. These harmful algae blooms can be harmful to humans. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality recommends you keep yourself and your pets away from it to prevent illness.

Kelsee Hurshman, a natural resource analyst at the Department of Environmental Quality says, “If the public does find a kind of harmful bacterial bloom at a water body that does not already have a current advisory, we ask that they report that bloom to us so we can investigate and respond to that potential bloom and issue an advisory accordingly.”

If you find yourself out and about on the water, keep an eye out for signage warning of algae blooms and avoid those areas.

You can find resources to learn more here.