Blue-green algae danger closes down Sloan’s Lake

DENVER — Sloan’s Lake remains closed after a blue-green algae bloom left the water with high toxicity levels – Denver Parks & Recreation Department is monitoring the levels, but the lake closure forced participants of the upcoming Colorado Dragon Boat Festival races to practice elsewhere. 

9NEWS spoke to Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE), the organizer of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival and a member of a clean water organization to learn more about the issue and what is being done to resolve it.

Elizabeth Scherer is the air and water manager for the DDPHE. 

Q: What is blue-green algae? 

Scherer: Blue-green algae is the kind of algae that produces toxins, mostly neurological toxins. They’re very common in Colorado because our lakes our shallow and warm.

We don’t have a water flow through our lakes and it creates the perfect storm for algae to grow.

Q: What are the potential side effects if you come into contact with blue-green algae? 

Scherer: If a person is exposed to blue-green algae and just touched it or inhales it, it can cause irritation of the skin, the eyes, the nose, the mouth.

If a pet ingests it, it can cause nausea, vomiting, neurological issues, so if a pet ingests it it’s important to get them to the vet right away.

Q: What can people do to keep safe?

Scherer: People can just avoid the water. If you see any kind of blue-green sheen in the water or if you see postings to stay out of the water, keep your pets and kids out of the water as well.

Q: How long can toxic levels of blue-green algae linger in a lake? 

Scherer: It usually lasts until we have a major storm event or rain event or if we treat it with some sort of application, but generally it’s when the cooler weather comes this fall.

Sara Moore is the executive director of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 

Q: What is the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival? 

Moore: Our whole goal of this event is to bring people together and building bridges of awareness, knowledge and understanding between the diverse AAPI communities here in Colorado and the general public.

Q: With the current closure of that lake, will the event take place?

Moore: I’ve actually been in contact with the parks department and they are doing everything in their power to ensure that the blue-green algae is going to be under control.

They are making more movement with the water and just making sure it’s going to be nice and safe for the end of September, so I am very confident we will be able to have dragon boats on the water.

Glenn Witman is a member of the Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation 

Q: What is the Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation? 

Witman: We’re basically a coalition of neighbors banding together to work with the city and create a lake that is sustainable, that’s clean and one that maybe one day we can go swimming in. 

We do that with fundraising. Jamming on the Jetty is our signature event and it’s coming up on September 18. We’re going to have live bands, there will be food vendors, it will be a great time. 

Q: Why is it so important to address these water issues? 

Witman: We need to make this lake sustainable to last for years and generations to come and even just for now. 

Hopefully, this problem will bring to light what’s going on in our neighborhood and on this lake and people will want to get involved and help because we need help.

The Denver parks told 9NEWS they are performing targeted treatment to drop the blue-green algae levels to an acceptable amount.  

They stated they added infrastructure to pull water from the bottom of the lake and put it back in the lake to help with the stirring of the water without disturbing the sediment at the bottom of the lake.

The parks department said they will continue to monitor the toxicity levels and when they drop to an acceptable level the lake will reopen.

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