What's ugly, smells, kills dogs? Blue-green algae

[undeterred]

WAUSAU, Wis. — Waterways across the upper Midwest are increasingly plagued with ugly, smelly and potentially deadly blue-green algae, bloomed by drought and fertilizer runoffs from farm fields, that's killed dozens of dogs and sickened many people.

Aquatic biologists say it's a problem that falls somewhere between a human health concern and a nuisance, but will eventually lead to more human poisoning. State officials are telling people who live on algae-covered lakes to close their windows, stop taking walks along the picturesque shorelines and keep their dogs from drinking the rank water.

Peggy McAloon, 62, lives on Wisconsin's Tainter Lake and calls the algae blooms the "cockroach on the water." "It is like living in the sewer for three weeks. You gag. You cannot go outside," she said. "We have pictures of squirrels that are dead underneath the scum and fish that are dead. ... It has gotten out of control because of the nutrient loads we as humans are adding to the waters."

Blue-green algae are common in waters but not every lake develops serious problems until plentiful "man-induced" nutrients like phosphorous arrive, said Jim Vennie, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources expert. The toxins released by the algae can be deadly. Symptoms include rash, hives, runny nose, irritated eyes and throat irritation.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gqrMC7NvYKe4jGTjLIZM-jRqp-7QD9AVQQK04

We've got it on some of the lakes around Madison.

[TheMightyFavog]

1. I warnt camping at Castle Rock Lake last month.

That entire lake is one big algae bloom. I still can't believe that me and a buddy actually went swimming there.

[RetroLounge]

2. This is a huge problem up by Chetek

Their chain of lakes is green and stinky...

RL

[glinda]

3. There is a lake in MN. that was soooooo green last year so this year they put

some sort of device in it that moves the water or does something like that and it looks tons better this year. Especially since I saw algae blooms on the Mississippi River, which is totally out of the norm.