BIG HORN COUNTY, MT — The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is warning residents about harmful algae blooms appearing in lakes and reservoirs across the state.
The Tongue River Reservoir in Big Horn County received its first notice at the end of August.
Mark Landerman, a resident of Cody, Wyoming, often visits the reservoir to fish, but this time he’s taking extra precautions with his dogs due to the presence of blue-green algae.
Watch how this blue-green algae affects pets and humans:
“(It’s) pretty concerning because we do fish quite often in the fall, and it seems like in the past few years it's been happening quite a bit,” Landerman said Sunday.
The algae act like a poison for humans and pets.
“We have a couple dogs with us, so we're having to take extra precautions,” Landerman said.
He now keeps his dogs on leashes and immediately puts them in the boat to avoid water contact.
“They don't get to play in the water like they usually do,” Landerman said.
The Montana DEQ reports that blue-green algae is appearing in several areas of the state during this time of year.
The harmful algae blooms appear as thick formations resembling pea soup, grass clippings, or spilled paint on the water’s surface.
Low water levels during this season can increase the population of the algae blooms, especially in areas of shallow, warmer water.
Ryan Bogers, owner of Tongue River Marina, has been monitoring the blooms closely and fielding calls from concerned visitors.
“I did see areas around the reservoir, on shore, with a teal-looking crust there, basically. And that's when we were told it was blue-green algae,” Bogers said.
The marina has received numerous inquiries about the algae situation.
“There was a lot of concern about it. There were a lot of people calling to ask about it,” Bogers said.
Bogers said some day visitors may have decided not to visit because of the algae, but he believes overall park visitation has been steady.
Despite the concerns, Bogers continued to enjoy the water with his family.
“Labor Day weekend I took all the kids out, and I think it was Sunday afternoon, and we were on the water tubing and swimming and everything,” Bogers said.
