HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – On Thursday, the Hill County Health Department reported they had been informed about two potential harmful algal blooms in Beaver Creek Park south of Havre. Public Health Director Kim Larson said the potential blooms were spotted at Beaver Creek Reservoir, also called First Lake, and at Bear Paw Lake, or Second Lake.
Larson says that, to be safe, people and animals should stay out of these waters.
“Especially if you see that algae on top of that water, I would stay out of it. Keep your dogs, livestock, anything. Just stay out of it. You can get irritation just from having it on your skin. You can have a little irritation from breathing in some of those toxins, if they are releasing that toxin.
Larson says it can be difficult to know when this algae is producing toxins.
“It’s a very tricky thing because this algae is not always producing a toxin and then it can produce the toxin for months after it’s gone. And, also, if we test it right now and it’s producing a toxin, in like an hour it may not be producing, or vice versa. So, it’s just best to stay out of the water if you see that.”
Larson says they are waiting for confirmation from the State of Montana about whether or not this algae is producing the toxins. However, because there have been algae blooms on these lakes before, they are likely to have another.
