KINGSTON TWP. — If you’re thinking about letting your dog take a refreshing swim in the lake at Frances Slocum State Park, it could turn out to be a deadly dip.
A toxic blue-green algae bloom has been detected in the lake following the reported death of a dog in late August.
According to water sample test results taken from the lake by the state Department of Environmental Protection, levels of microcystin — the deadly toxin produced by blue-green algae — were more than 40 times higher than the maximum level recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for human recreational exposure.
The EPA’s recommended maximum level for human exposure for microcystins is 8 parts per billion (ppb). The maximum microcystin standard for dogs, according to the Pennsylvania Office of the Great Lakes is 0.2 ppb.
According to results from DEP, certain areas of Frances Slocum Lake contained microcystin levels as high as 340 ppb. The highest concentration of the toxin was found at the boat mooring area, while the water near the dam had non-detectable levels of microcystin.
Another toxin resulting from blue-green algae — cylindrospermopsin — was also detected in the water samples at a level of 4.5 ppb at the boat mooring area, which is below the EPA’s standard of 15 ppb for humans but above the 0.2 maximum level recommended for dogs.
Microcystins can affect the nervous system and liver in both humans and dogs, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
There have been no human deaths in the United States caused by the toxin, but there are confirmed cases in pets, livestock and wildlife.
Terry Brady, press secretary for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said a caution flag went up Aug. 22 when a park user reported their dog had died after swimming in the lake.
A necropsy wasn’t performed on the dog, Brady said, so there is no definitive link that the blue-green algae bloom was responsible for the animal’s death. But the circumstances were enough for DCNR to request water sampling of the lake, which was conducted Aug. 23.
While swimming is already prohibited at Frances Slocum Lake, Brady said there would be no additional restrictions in response to the blue-green algae bloom.
Since the lake and surrounding park are owned by DCNR, it would be up to that agency to issue any restrictions.
Signage was placed around the lake cautioning pet owners against letting their dogs swim in the water, and park staff have been informing users of the threat.
As of Thursday, Brady said, the toxic algal bloom was still evident and another round of tests were ordered.
“We didn’t close the lake to activities like fishing, but there is concern,” Brady said. “The bloom seems to be confined to areas of the lake with little movement and stagnant water, mainly the boat mooring and boat launch locations.”
Brady said there have been no reports of people becoming ill at the lake and there was no decline in activity at the park over the Labor Day weekend.
He added that toxic algae blooms have occurred in Lake Erie, but the incident at Frances Slocum is the first one reported at a lake in a state park.
Nutrient runoff that contains phosphorous and nitrogen is a cause of blue-green algal blooms, as is hot weather.
Frances Slocum Lake was identified as impaired by the DEP in 2012 due to high nutrient loads, and a bio-filtration project designed to reduce stormwater discharge into the lake at the boat launch area is set to be completed this fall.
The work is a joint effort between the park and the Luzerne Conservation District.
“The lake is a basin and everything drains into it — nutrients, goose feces and stormwater runoff. All that water seems to shoot right down into the boat launch area, and steps are being taken to reduce that impact,” Brady said.
While the toxins produced by the algae are a threat to people and dogs, it can also be dangerous for fish and wildlife.
Mike Parker, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said algal blooms can lead to oxygen depletion in the water, which can kill fish and aquatic life.
Parker said his agency hasn’t seen any evidence of a fish kill at Frances Slocum, and PFBC won’t issue any consumption advisories in response to the algal bloom.
“It’s not a new problem and it occurs every summer in places when you get hot weather and stagnant water,” Parker said. “We recommend that people use common sense and steer clear of those areas.”
That’s what Jackson Twp. resident Joe Bealla intends to do.
Bealla said he fishes at Frances Slocum several times a month, but doesn’t frequent the boat mooring area where the algal bloom is located.
He said the bloom won’t stop him from fishing at the lake.
“I was really unaware of it,” Bealla said. “I don’t fish that part of the lake, but if they issue any restrictions I’ll heed the warnings.”
Officials with the Pennsylvania Game Commission said they haven’t received any reports of dead or sick wildlife around the lake, but blue-green algal blooms have impacted species in other areas.
Game Commission wildlife veterinarian Erica Miller said she witnessed die-offs of waterfowl and shorebirds in the Chesapeake Bay years ago when an algal bloom occurred.
“I haven’t heard of any confirmed cases of microcystin toxicity in wild mammals, but I see no reason why it couldn’t occur,” Miller said.
TOM VENESKY is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be reached at www.veneskyoutdoors.com.
INFO BOX
The state Department of Agriculture recommends the following precautions for pet owners in regards to blue-green algae:
• Don’t let pets swim or drink contaminated water. If there is contact, immediately wash the animal.
• Call a veterinarian if your pet displays symptoms such as loss of energy, loss of appetite, vomiting, stumbling/falling, foaming at the mouth, diarrhea, convulsions, excessive drooling, tremors, or any other unexplained sickness within a day after being in contact with the water.
• If the water is green or discolored, avoid contact.
• The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission advises boaters and anglers to wash all of their gear after recreating at Frances Slocum to avoid transporting any contaminants to other areas.
– This story appeared in The Citizens’ Voice on Sept. 6, 2019
