The city is temporarily closing Sloan's Lake effective immediately due to potentially toxic levels of blue-green algae in the water, the parks and recreation department said Thursday.
Parks and recreation spokesperson Cyndi Karvaski said in an email this is the first time city staff can recall closing a lake due to a blue-green algae bloom.
"We see algae every year, but it's particularly bad this year," Karvaski said in an email.
A release from the city's parks department said this means any contact with the water will be banned until further notice. That includes water and recreational activities, including fishing, wading, boating, and launched or non-motorized craft like canoes, paddleboards and kayaks. The city advises kids and pets not to go in or near the water.
The city started posting signs about the presence of algae earlier this month. Those signs are being replaced with closure signs warning about the potentially toxic algae blooms, which can be poisonous to humans, cats, dogs, livestock, birds and fish. The city says it will reopen the lake once algae bloom and cyanotoxin levels subside.
