Harmful blue-green algae infest the Ohio river as locals and recreational

According to the Columbus Dispatch, microcystis, a type of blue-green algae that has the ability to produce liver and nerve toxins that could make people sick or kill pets, has been found in the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio.

Although the water quality levels are improving, caution should be observed in areas above the Pike Island Locks and Dam on the Ohio River. So I’m not sure that once it moves through our systems and it goes down, continues down river into Parkersburg and onto Cabell County that you would continue to see the problem or it would just dissipate.

The order applied to Wheeling, Bethlehem, Triadelphia, the Ohio County Public Service District and all other areas supplied with water from the Wheeling Water Treatment Plant where mixing of water from the Ohio River and underground wells continued this weekend.

Residents were being asked to refrain from watering lawns, filling swimming pools, washing cars or using water for any other unnecessary tasks.

This water conservation order is being issued as a precaution until water storage levels are achieved. The city will not be issuing burn permits until further notice. The Wheeling Water Department is now blending water from the Ohio River with well water as a precaution. Although the Ohio County Health Department in Wheeling and numerous city’s locals are now working with several affected locations, experts are saying that the entire decontamination process will probably take weeks to get into effect. Dogs are especially vulnerable because they tend to drink more water and lick algae off their fur.

Water testing on Wednesday at the Pike Island Lock and Dam showed elevated levels of blue-green algae.

Blue-green algae toxins can cause a variety of symptoms including contact irritation (e.g., eye, nose, mouth and skin), gastro-intestinal symptoms (e.g., abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, liver inflammation) and neurologic symptoms (e.g., muscle tremors, seizures, difficulty breathing).