WDEQ warns hunters and anglers of cyanobacteria blooms this fall

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WYOMING —The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) announced on Monday that Wyomingites, especially hunters and anglers, should continue to avoid harmful cyanobacteria blooms that still may be present in lakes and reservoirs, despite decreased temperatures.

“Although most blooms occur during the warmer months and blooms are expected to dissipate as temperatures decrease, some types of cyanobacteria are known to persist in freezing conditions and may continue to pose health risks to people and animals,” the WDEQ said.

According to the WDEQ cyanobacteria bloom sampling concluded at the end of October but recreation use advisories are still in place for a number of waterbodies until Dec. 31 or until “blooms have fully dissipated and cyanotoxin concentrations are below recreational use thresholds.”

Currently, 16 waterbodies in Wyoming are under bloom advisories, which are issued by the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH). The closest advisory to Jackson is at Rainbow Lake Outlet in the Shoshone National Forest, near the border of Teton County and Fremont County.

For waterbodies with blooms, the WDH and Wyoming Livestock Board continue to recommend the following:

• Avoid contact with water in the vicinity of the bloom, especially in areas where cyanobacteria are dense and form scum.
• Do not ingest water from the bloom. Boiling, filtration or other treatments will not remove toxins.
• Rinse fish with clean water and eat only the fillet portion.
• Avoid water spray from the bloom.
• Do not allow pets or livestock to drink water near the bloom, eat bloom material or lick fur after contact.
• If people, pets or livestock come into contact with a bloom, rinse off with clean water as soon as possible.

Questions about health effects and recreational use advisories can be directed to Courtney Tillman, Surveillance Epidemiologist, WDH, at courtney.tillman@wyo.gov or (877) 996-9000. Questions regarding cyanobacteria sampling can be directed to Kelsee Hurshman, Natural Resource Analyst, WDEQ, at kelsee.hurshman1@wyo.gov or (307) 777-2073.